Warner Bros. Frustrated Over Batman 2 Delays, But Gunn Defends Matt Reeves

Despite James Gunn recently praising Matt Reeves and his Batman franchise, a new report suggests there’s been real tension behind the scenes.

According to Puck News, DC Studios co-heads James Gunn and Peter Safran expected Reeves to deliver the Batman: Part II script over a year ago. It’s now been three years since The Batman hit theaters and grossed nearly $800 million. With a sequel announced almost immediately, Warner Bros. execs—especially CEO David Zaslav—are reportedly growing impatient with the slow pace.

Script Delivery Is Imminent

The report says Reeves is set to turn in his full script on Monday, which would finally kick the next phase of development into motion. While that may calm nerves for now, the delays have reportedly already caused frustration at multiple levels of the company, as Batman is WB’s biggest IP.

“The DC co-heads, Gunn and Peter Safran, initially expected the script more than a year ago,” Puck News notes. “So yeah, the executives are frustrated at the delay, all the way up to Warner Discovery C.E.O. David Zaslav.”

Rumors of Trouble Behind the Scenes

The site says that some insiders reportedly believed Warner Bros. was ready to move on from Reeves if the script wasn’t delivered soon. But the delays are not entirely new, as Reeves is known to be a meticulous, slower-paced filmmaker. Personal matters also reportedly contributed to the holdup.

In an interview published the same day as the Puck piece, Gunn directly addressed the speculation, coming to Reeves’ defense.

“People should get off Matt’s nuts because it’s like, let the guy write the screenplay in the amount of time he needs to write it,” Gunn told EW.com.  “That’s just the way it is. He doesn’t owe you something because you like his movie. I mean, you like his movie because of Matt. So let Matt do things the way he does.”

Gunn’s response is rather blunt, but what it says is a clear show of support, suggesting Gunn isn’t interested in replacing Reeves or rushing the creative process, at least publicly.

Will The Batman 2 Still Hit Its Release Date?

Reeves’ The Batman: Part II is still scheduled to release October 1, 2027, but Puck News questions whether that date will hold.

A Warner Bros. insider says the studio is currently aiming to start production in January 2026, after Robert Pattinson wraps work on Dune 3. If the script and preproduction stay on track, the 2027 date could still be met.

But if anything slips further? All bets are off.

” A Warners source told me they’re still planning on a shoot beginning in January, after Pattinson finishes Dune 3, which would provide enough time to keep the date. That’s if the script and preproduction process go smoothly from here. So we’ll see…” states the site.