Is Brian Tyree Henry the New Harvey Bullock in The Batman Part II?

It’s happening: The Batman — Part II is officially rolling, and DC is letting Matt Reeves continue his brooding, waterlogged Gotham saga — this time under the very-watched eye of DC Studios bosses James Gunn and Peter Safran. This flick is technically an Elseworlds story; in DC’s current lingo, that means it sits outside all the shared-universe chaos Gunn is orchestrating elsewhere. In other words, Pattinson’s Batman operates in his own little rain-soaked sandbox.

Here’s what’s clear: production is underway at last for round two of Reeves’ Bat-vision. If you’re hoping for juicy plot leaks, you’ll have to keep waiting, because details are still under tight lock and key. The Batman 2 picks up after Gotham was left partially underwater at the end of the last movie (not subtle, Reeves). Safe bet: things will be even more tense, with the city overrun by new villains and the usual pile of corrupt weirdos.

Matt Reeves Teases the Cast (With Some Surprises)

To celebrate the start of shooting, Reeves fired up his social media accounts and dropped a mix of old and new footage. Some of it is recycled from the original film, but mixed in are fresh glimpses of the returning and new cast members. If you blinked, here’s who showed up:

• Robert Pattinson: Back in the cape and cowl as Batman, obviously.
• Andy Serkis: Alfred, still stressed, still making tea, one assumes.
• Jayme Lawson: Bella Reál, Gotham’s do-gooder mayor (try not to get kidnapped this time).
• Sebastian Stan: Confirmed as Harvey Dent, aka Two-Face — so expect more chaos in the DA’s office.
• Scarlett Johansson: Yes, the Scarlett Johansson, but her role is a mystery for now. (The internet promptly lost its collective mind.)
• Brian Tyree Henry: Newly announced, making his second comic book movie after Marvel’s Eternals.

Here’s where things get a little more interesting for Bat-comic fans. As news broke about Brian Tyree Henry joining the party, a fan theorized online (on X, which most of us still call Twitter) that Henry would totally nail the role of Harvey Bullock. Matt Reeves quietly hit the like button on that post — which isn’t exactly a contract, but come on, that’s a pretty big hint.

Who is Harvey Bullock? (And Why Should You Care?)

For anyone unfamiliar with the Bullock character: he’s been a Gotham PD staple in DC comics for ages. Picture a world-weary, somewhat sloppy detective with a personal code that’s… let’s call it 'flexible.' Bullock constantly bumps heads with the city’s costumed types (Batman included) but can’t hide that he’s got a decent heart, and tons of loyalty to Jim Gordon in particular. If Henry really is playing Bullock, it could bring a bit of lived-in grit (and a nice counterbalance) to Jeffrey Wright’s upright Gordon.

'This cast announcement has us watching Reeves’ every move a little closer. There’s a real sense he’s got a few surprises up his sleeve.'

Right now, the details around villains and larger storylines are still buried deeper than whatever criminal evidence was floating in Gotham’s new post-flood rivers. But the ensemble is shaping up in some interesting, possibly unexpected ways, which is honestly half the fun at this stage. Expect more names to surface — and more cryptic GIFs from Reeves — as cameras keep rolling.

More to come as the Bat-signals light up.