Fan-Favorite Butler Returns: Andy Serkis Reprises Alfred in The Batman 2

Well, after what feels like a lifetime of delays and rumors, The Batman Part II is finally kicking into gear. The Matt Reeves sequel starts shooting in London this summer, and yes, Andy Serkis will be back as Alfred. This wasn't always guaranteed, though—and the behind-the-scenes juggling between Batcaves and Middle-earth has been making Hollywood schedules look like an MC Escher painting.

Andy Serkis: Back in the Batcave (Briefly)

If you’re keeping track, Serkis is as busy as you’d expect from a guy who’s played an ape, a junkie hobbit, and a Star Wars villain, sometimes all in the same stretch of months. Recently, the question was whether Warner Bros. could rescue him from his day job moonlighting as Gollum to reprise his take on Bruce Wayne’s battle-hardened butler. Turns out, they sorted it out. According to Deadline, WB managed to schedule things so Serkis can split his time between Batman’s mansion and Gollum’s cave. Feels like a scheduling miracle, but studio synergy wins again.

'It’s a crazy-balancing act,' Serkis admitted in recent interviews. But he always seemed pretty upbeat that he could figure out a way to play Alfred again.

Frankly, this at least saves us the awkwardness of WB trying to explain why Alfred is suddenly "on vacation" for an entire Bat-movie, or recast him entirely.

How Busy Is Serkis Right Now? Wildly.

Serkis is coming off directing his adaptation of Animal Farm, which finally hits on May 1st after limping through production since 2022. Now he’s rolling straight into The Hunt for Gollum, both directing and—of course—slipping back into the Gollum role. Not busy enough? Just to pile it on, WB, New Line, and Peter Jackson’s WingNut Films are lining up a whole new run of Middle-earth movies. The next planned installment: Lord of the Rings: Shadow of the Past, with... wait for it... Stephen Colbert helping write the script. (If you ever doubted Colbert’s Tolkien obsession, doubt no more.)

The Hunt for Gollum: What You Need to Know

Here’s the gist: The Hunt for Gollum takes place before the original Lord of the Rings trilogy, focusing on Aragorn’s mission to find and capture Gollum—basically to keep him from spilling Sauron’s secrets about the Ring. A lot of this material actually comes from Tolkien’s appendices and footnotes, so deep-cut lore hounds ought to be happy. One thing you probably won’t see: Viggo Mortensen. The film’s set too early for him to slip back into ranger boots.

And if you’re worried about franchise fatigue—yeah, me too—but WB and company are clearly going all in.

The Batman Part II: Who Else Is In?

• Robert Pattinson returns as the Bat in question
• Scarlett Johansson is joining the cast (no word yet on her role)
• Sebastian Stan is set to play Harvey Dent—yep, Two-Face
• Release date: October 1st, 2027

Coming Soon: Double Feature Season

Both The Batman Part II and The Hunt for Gollum are stacked for the end of next year. Batman drops first, on October 1st, 2027. Gollum shuffles into theaters just after, on December 17th. If you ever wanted a double shot of brooding heroes and obsession, December 2027 is shaping up to be your month.