Steven Soderbergh steps in to finish The Batman: Part II while Matt Reeves is away

Bit of a curveball in Gotham at the moment. The sequel to The Batman—that’s The Batman: Part II—has already battled its fair share of production hold-ups. Now, director Matt Reeves has had to step back from the set due to a family issue. Not exactly your standard superhero drama, is it?

The Batman: Part II paused filming when Matt Reeves had to step away, but Steven Soderbergh has now stepped in to direct the final stretch.

Soderbergh Behind the Camera

Here’s where it gets properly interesting. With things up in the air, Steven Soderbergh—yes, the bloke behind all sorts from Ocean’s Eleven to Contagion—has stepped in as a sort of stand-in director. Reeves isn’t vanishing entirely, mind. He’s reportedly “involved as much as he can be”, with Soderbergh essentially picking up the baton to see filming through to the finish line. By the sounds of it, most of the film (about two-thirds worth) was already in the can before this unexpected pause.

Getting someone of Soderbergh’s calibre for a massive comic book project like this isn’t usual business as far as DC adaptations go. He’s not just ticking boxes, either—his approach is apparently all about keeping things in line with Reeves’ vision rather than trying to reinvent it on the fly.

Pattinson Weighs In

Robert Pattinson, back as Bruce Wayne, has plenty of time for Soderbergh helping out during what’s obviously a bit of a nightmare for Reeves and the crew. In an interview with Variety, Pattinson didn’t hold back on his appreciation:

“I am so happy he’s come on to help Matt. It’s incredibly generous of him – and he’s doing it in the loveliest way. It’s completely selfless. I think Matt had put so much work into the script, and we’re almost done. So for someone to come in and say, ‘I just want to help Matt do it; I want to do it in conjunction with him and just get it to the edit.’ And to have someone who’s as talented as Steven doing it is great.”

Pressed about when filming would be picking up again, Pattinson reckoned production was back up and running and that he was “starting in a couple of days”. So, wheels already turning again then—nothing to suggest a total stall of the project, just a complicated relay race.

Soderbergh and the Studio on the Switch

Soderbergh actually put out a statement himself, which puts to bed any idea he’s here to make it all about him. He heaped praise on Reeves’ work on the first film, calling it “stunning” and “rigorously coherent”, and described his part this time as simply filling in so everything slots together smoothly in post.

The studio’s take made it clear this is a proper collaboration, not a takeover. They said Soderbergh, as a fan of Reeves’ work, approached him and the studio to help guide the last bit of principal photography. Reeves and Soderbergh, we’re told, will be working side-by-side with cast and crew to ensure the film stays true to the vision Reeves set out for Part II.