For years, the much-awaited sequel to Matt Reeves’ stylish 2022 blockbuster, The Batman, has lingered in a dimly lit cloud of uncertainty. Although its eventual arrival is expected for late 2027, the precise vision of the movie have remained veiled in secrecy. Whole eras could transpire before the director decides upon which infamous foe from Batman’s vast rogues' gallery to unleash next.
Unexpectedly – out of nowhere this week’s news that Scarlett Johansson is in late-stage talks to become part of the lineup of the sequel. Which character she might portray remains unclear, but that scarcely detracts from the weight of the announcement: it feels consequential, a long-dormant beacon over a seemingly abandoned universe. Johansson is not merely an top-tier star; she is one of the rare performers who consistently puts bums on seats while simultaneously maintaining considerable critical credibility.
Previously, the obvious speculation might have centered on Johansson as characters like Poison Ivy or Harley Quinn. Yet, both are seems particularly probable. First, Reeves’ interpretation of Gotham, as presented in the first film, was decidedly grounded and conventional. That iteration appears divorced from a broader superhero landscape where super-powered beings mingle with Batman’s more homegrown threats.
Reeves evidently favors a muddy and psychologically grounded Gotham. His villains are not world-ending threats; they are troubled characters frequently shaped by past wounds. Additionally, given Harley Quinn’s recent incarnation elsewhere and another actress firmly established as Sofia Falcone in a spin-off series, the list of prominent female figures associated with the Batman lore looks somewhat restricted.
There has been online discussion that Johansson could be playing Andrea Beaumont, also known as the Phantasm. This villain, a vengeful assassin from Bruce Wayne’s past, seems to dovetail exactly with Reeves’ known penchant for Gotham stories steeped in crime. The director has recently hinted seeking an antagonist who delves into Batman’s origins, a criteria that Beaumont checks with ease.
“An past relationship of Bruce Wayne’s, whose trauma transformed into deadly justice.”
Based on 1993 animated film, her narrative even allows a natural pathway to introduce the Joker as a low-level hoodlum – a story beat that could let Reeves to begin setting up that clown prince for a third instalment.
Maybe the more interesting inquiry concerns what a lengthy interval between installments does to a series initially envisioned as a three-part arc. Film series are usually intended to maintain pace, not risk ossifying into prestige projects. Yet, this seems to be the present state of play. Perhaps that is the distinctive appeal of this specific cinematic world.
In the end, if Johansson is indeed entering the battle, it as a minimum signals that the Reeves-Pattinson era is awakening again, no matter how tentatively. With good fortune, the next film may finally make its way into theaters before the studio plans unveils the brand-new incarnation of the Dark Knight.
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