James Gunn Has Blunt Response to Fans Asking When Matt Reeves Will Return to The Batman: Part II

James Gunn has made it clear that Matt Reeves will not be replaced as director of The Batman: Part II. Following the announcement that Steven Soderbergh would take over principal photography of the film, fans have been asking when Reeves would return. It’s an understandable question, given Warner Bros.’ history of replacing directors DC projects and interfering with their films. However, Gunn wants to reassure audiences that Soderbergh is not taking over the film and that Reeves will continue to be involved in bringing his sequel to the screen.

Answering questions on Threads, the DC Studios co-chair confirmed that Reeves remains the director of The Batman: Part II and will supervise post-production when the movie returns to Los Angeles. Reeves is dealing with a family matter, and Soderbergh stepped in to finish the rest of the shooting. Gunn thanked the filmmaker for coming to the rescue, adding that the aim is to complete the movie Reeves was trying to make. “Matt is still the director of The Batman 2 and always will be. I can’t express how profoundly grateful and moved we are by Steven’s offer to help him complete his vision.”

Warner Bros. Has a History of Replacing DC Directors

There’s a good reason some fans are concerned about another director stepping in to finish a DC film. Warner Bros. has a long history of interfering with directors and significantly changing their films, even removing the original filmmaker entirely. Richard Donner was famously fired from Superman II, despite having completed much of the sequel. Richard Lester finished the film and made significant changes to Donner’s original vision. It took another 26 years before audiences were able to see Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut, which restored previously unused footage, including Marlon Brando’s performance as Jor-El. Here’s the Donner cut opening that better explains how Zod was freed by the nuclear weapons thrown into the sun in the first film.

More recently, David Ayer has repeatedly criticized Warner Bros. for significantly altering his 2016 film Suicide Squad, while his original cut remains unreleased. Zack Snyder left Justice League after his daughter’s passing, and Joss Whedon finished the film with extensive reshoots. Ben Affleck recently claimed that Warner Bros. used Snyder’s family tragedy as an excuse to rework the film. Snyder’s version was finally released in 2021, following years of fan campaigning.

Given that history, Gunn may be attempting to anticipate demand for a “Reeves Cut” before The Batman: Part II has even wrapped production. However, not every director stepping in to assist another filmmaker is evidence of studio interference. George Lucas asked Steven Spielberg to help develop action sequences for Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, and Robert Rodriguez famously invited Quentin Tarantino to direct a scene in Sin City. Soderbergh himself had previously shot second-unit footage for Gary Ross in The Hunger Games.

The circumstances surrounding The Batman: Part II appear to be very different from Warner Bros.’ previous controversies. According to Reeves, he is still involved in the production and appreciates Soderbergh’s assistance in completing it. Reeves may not be able to complete principal photography on his own, but Gunn has made it clear that the finished film will remain his vision. Now, we wait for Soderbergh to announce his next film, Ocean Master’s Eleven.