The Batman Delayed to March 2022

The Batman is now pushed back to a 2022 release date. Matt Reeves’ upcoming take on the Caped Crusader will debut Robert Pattinson’s version of the iconic character and will be set during Bruce Wayne’s second year of assuming the superhero persona. The film boasts a star-studded cast such as Jeffrey Wright as Commissioner Gordon, Zoë Kravitz as Catwoman, Paul Dano as the Riddler, Colin Farrell as the Penguin, and Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth. Now, however, fans would have to wait a bit longer to see what the film is about with Warner Bros. pushing it back by several months.

Principal photography for The Batman had just started earlier this year when it, like all other movie and TV show productions around the world, had to shut down due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Still, Reeves was able to craft a nifty trailer from the footage they’ve worked on, which was released at the DC FanDome event back in August. After months of hiatus, The Batman tried to resume production last month after Pattinson himself contracted COVID19; once it was contained, they tried once more to kick things off with filming,

With a smaller shooting schedule, not to mention the uncertain times, however, Warner Bros. decided to delay the much-anticipated project. Instead of rolling out in theaters on October 1, 2021, The Batman is now slated to come out on March 4, 2022, instead.

The delay makes sense considering how the situation regarding the coronavirus is progressing. While most countries were able to finally contain the spread of the pandemic, the upcoming cold season is threatening to kick-off a second and deadlier wave of the health crisis. Knowing this, there’s a chance that The Batman would have to once again shut down production with no clear timeline when they can restart work. Given this, it’s best for Warner Bros. to be proactive about their release strategy than forcing the matter and risking not making their original target date. It’s also important for them to reschedule their slate as early as possible so they still have the luxury of picking prime slots for their projects.

Looking at the March 2022 release date calendar, The Batman is set to go head-to-head with Minecraft, which incidentally is also to be distributed by Warner Bros. Video game films have been hit or miss for a while now, but with the right marketing and a strong project, the upcoming Peter Sollett-written and directed film could give The Batman a run for its money. It’s also worth noting that the new release date for Pattinson and Reeves’ film only gives it a three-week window before Marvel Studios’ Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness rolls out in theaters. Granted that the superhero films offer entirely different things to the public, this narrow of a gap can ultimately affect The Batman‘s total box office haul.