The Batman sequel: will Joker actor Barry Keoghan be in movie cast, film release date - CinemaCon 2022 news

Robert Pattinson will return to reprise his role as the caped-crusader in a sequel to recently released film, The Batman.

This year’s bruising superhero flick - which reads more like a gritty crime-noir thriller than any of Marvel’s effects-laden spectacles - was always meant to be the first instalment in a new Batman film trilogy, a Batman-focused shared universe separate from DC’s ‘Extended Universe’ (the DCEU) canon of films.

Warner Bros revealed news of the sequel on Tuesday 26 April at the CinemaCon event in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Writer and director Matt Reeves attended the event and said he was “excited to jump back into this world for the next chapter,” according to People.

Here is everything you need to know about it.

What will happen in The Batman sequel?

As mentioned, unfortunately no further details about the plot or the film’s release date were revealed.

The fist film saw Bruce Wayne on a journey for vengeance in the underworld, where he encountered Catwoman’s Selina Kyle, played by Zoe Kravitz.

The film also stars John Turturro as Carmine Falcone and Paul Dano as enigmatic villain The Riddler.

Judging by the first film’s ending - and its post-credits teaser - we can start to speculate what we might see happening in the sequel.

***WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD***

While there’s no actual footage during the end credits scene in The Batman, if you stick around long enough, you will see The Riddler’s recognisable question mark cursor begin to blink as green text flashes on the screen saying “Goodbye.”

The Riddler’s website (www.rataalada.com, which was set up as part of the movie’s marketing campaign) also pops up on screen.

The site was part of an augmented reality game used as part of The Batman’s marketing, and was discovered by fans who deciphered hidden messages in the movie’s posters and trailers.

Since the film’s release, the site has been updated with new riddles and Easter eggs.

One set of three riddles correctly answered riddles nets you a mysterious .zip film containing a 30-second clip of Bruce Wayne’s late father during his mayoral campaign ad.

Will The Joker be in the sequel?

Another set of riddles gets you - if you’re able to solve them correctly - access to a previously unseen five-minute deleted scene in which Robert Pattinson’s Caped Crusader meets Barry Keoghan’s Joker.

In the final cut of the film, the Joker is only seen briefly at the end of the movie, during a short conversation with a locked-up Riddler.

However, as director Reeves has revealed, there was originally meant to be a scene shared between the Joker and Batman, leading to speculation that we might see more of The Dark Knight’s most iconic rival in the sequel.

Reeves has also said the short scene that does appear in the film was also meant to imply that Gotham's problems would not cease after the Riddler was apprehended.

Which new faces will we see in the sequel?

It’s already been confirmed that key cast members from The Batman have signed on for future films, so expect core characters like Catwoman and the Penguin to return.

But as for new faces?

Pattinson and Reeves have previously expressed interest in introducing Batman side-kick Robin in a sequel, and have cited the Court of Owls, Calendar Man, Mr. Freeze, or Hush as potential villains.

Who may be cast as any of these - if they do indeed make it into the film - remains to be seen.

When will The Batman sequel be released?

The film’s planned release date is yet to be revealed.

It will likely be a couple of years until we see The Batman sequel on the big screen, but it might feel a bit shorter than that.

Production on the first film was halted by the pandemic for a couple of months, but with productions now able to continue pretty much as they did pre-Covid-19, the turnaround on the sequel will likely be slightly shorter.

We’re estimating a mid-to-late 2024 release date, though slightly earlier is potentially still feasible.