"The Batman Part II" is hitting pause.
Production on the highly anticipated DC sequel has "been temporarily paused" while director Matt Reeves "focuses on a family matter," the studio confirmed in a statement provided to Deadline on Monday, Oct. 5. "Matt has the full support of DC Studios and we look forward to continuing the journey soon."
USA TODAY has reached out to Warner Bros. for comment.
"The Batman Part II" is the long-awaited follow-up to 2022's "The Batman," which introduced Robert Pattinson as the Caped Crusader.
The movie is currently scheduled to hits theaters on Feb. 18, 2028, after being delayed a number of times. It was previously scheduled for October 2025, then delayed to October 2026 and again to October 2027.
is finally making progress after years of delays
The most recent release date was revealed in July, along with new camera test footage teasing a snowy setting and showing Batman dramatically turning toward the camera.
"The Batman Part II" will also star Sebastian Stan and Scarlett Johansson, as well as returning stars Jeffrey Wright, Colin Farrell and Andy Serkis.
The original "The Batman" also faced production pauses: Filming was shut down in 2020 at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and after resuming, filming paused in September 2020 after a member of the production tested positive for COVID.
The sequel will arrive six years after Reeves' original film, a longer wait than is typical for modern superhero movies. In the time since "The Batman" hit theaters in 2022, James Gunn was hired to relaunch DC's superhero franchise as the DC Universe, which includes 2025's "Superman" and its 2027 sequel "Man of Tomorrow."
Pattinson's Batman films are set in a separate world from the main DC Universe. A different actor is expected to be cast to play Batman in movies set inside the shared DC Universe world alongside David Corenswet's Superman.
Gunn has previously defended the long wait for "The Batman Part II," arguing in a 2024 Threads post it is not atypical. "To be fair, a 5 year gap or more is fairly common in sequels," he wrote. "7 years between Alien and Aliens. 14 years between Incredibles. 7 years between the first two Terminators. 13 years between Avatars. 36 years between Top Guns. And, of course, 6 years between Guardians Vol 2 and Vol 3." Gunn also said that Reeves was "committed to making the best film he possibly can."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'The Batman Part II' production temporarily paused
