Sebastian Stan may've just blurted his The Batman: Part II role

It's official: The Batman: Part II has finally dropped a teaser, and in proper teaser fashion, it barely shows us anything at all — mostly Robert Pattinson brooding around Gotham in the snow, a fresh logo, and, crucially, a new release date.

The Batman: Part II opens in cinemas on 18 February 2028.

That's right — we'll now have to wait till February 18, 2028 to see what Matt Reeves cooks up next with his take on the Bat. The upshot? The push gives Reeves more time in the edit suite (or, let's be honest, more time dealing with whatever Warner Bros. tosses at him this year). Still, it'll be getting a full IMAX roll-out, for anyone desperate to have Gotham swallowing them whole on the biggest screen possible.

Sebastian Stan’s Non-Announcement (That Basically Announced It)

The biggest question floating around has been over newcomer Sebastian Stan — Marvel alumnus, now joining the DC sandbox. Loads of fans initially guessed Victor Zsasz, but a recent interview has just very nearly let the cat out of the bag.

The French paper Le Journal du Dimanche was chatting with Stan about another film entirely, but couldn't resist digging for news on his blockbuster gigs. Stan dodged the typical Marvel questions, moaned about not having full scripts, etc, but then, quite casually, seemed to confirm who he's playing in Reeves' sequel, as part of a longer answer on keeping secrets:

Stan told Le Journal du Dimanche: "I can't say anything about Matt Reeves' The Batman: Part II either, in which I play Harvey Dent [in theaters February 16, 2028 — Ed.]. Part of the beauty of this profession is getting to take part in projects of this scale that I'm also a huge fan of as a moviegoer."

So unless he’s trolling (and the French press is playing along), Sebastian Stan is your new Harvey Dent. Which obviously starts the clock ticking on when — not if — we see him flip that coin and go full Two-Face. Sometimes these actors slip up so neatly you wonder if a studio suit is hovering just out of shot, sweating quietly.

Cast, Script, and What's Next

This second outing sees Pattinson back as Batman (unsurprisingly), with quite the expanded line-up alongside him:

• Scarlett Johansson
• Sebastian Stan
• Colin Farrell
• Andy Serkis
• Jeffrey Wright
• Charles Dance
• Jayme Lawson
• Brian Tyree Henry
• Sebastian Koch
• Gil Perez-Abraham

On the quality front, Farrell — still playing Penguin, naturally — has already had his hands on the script and sounds mildly bowled over by it. Here’s how Farrell put it as part of his remarks about Reeves and the writing process:

Farrell said, "I read the script, and it's just brilliant. My perspective is that it's a work of contemporary genre brilliance. It really is. Matt toils so hard, and he puts himself under such pressure. And he realizes what this character and this world mean to so many people, and he knows it's been around for decades; he's the man for the job. He really is. He's a brilliant filmmaker. The thing about Matt, as well, is that, as commercially minded as he is, he's also so intellectually rigorous. This film, like the first one, works on multiple levels, both as pure entertainment and as an investigation into the psychology of the characters of Bruce Wayne and Batman. It's really, really moving. I found myself very emotionally moved while I was reading it."

All told, the pieces are falling into place — bit slowly, but that’s this franchise for you. With a cast like this, and Reeves still steering, the anticipation will only keep sharpening as 2028 creeps up. No more precise plot details yet, and every time someone does open their mouth, it feels like a bit of news slips out by accident. Watch this space, not least to find out when exactly Harvey transforms.