Paul Dano‘s Edward Nashton drove Robert Pattinson‘s Batman to the edge in 2022’s The Batman; ultimately, the World’s Greatest Detective discovers the endgame of Nashton’s riddles and nabs Carmine Falcone. Of course, as Riddler is “captured” and shipped off to Arkham, Batman discovers too late the secondary plan to flood Gotham and wash away its history of corruption. While Batman was able to intervene to some extent, Riddler’s extravagant plan was a success and Gotham will certainly be in all manner of disarray when it’s next seen in the HBO Max series The Penguin and again in 2025’s The Batman-Part II.
Set to film in late 2023, little is known about Matt Reeves‘ The Batman-Part II. It survived the great purge when James Gunn and Peter Safran took over at DC and formed DC Studios and will be released under that studio’s new Elseworlds banner which means the stories developed by Reeves will take place outside of the DCU’s main continuity. What story is The Batman-Part II going to tell? There are plenty of rumors out there but the truth is nobody knows what Reeves has in mind; however, a new rumor from a reliable insider might at least give fans an idea of who some of the key players will be in the new chapter.
According to Daniel RPK, both Colin Farrell and Paul Dano will reprise their respective roles in 2025’s The Batman-Part II. To be sure, most everyone probably expected Farrell’s Oz to return; the streaming series The Penguin is set in the immediate aftermath of the events in The Batman and looks to be diving into the turmoil unleashed in the criminal underworld of Gotham following the death of Carmine Falcone. Dano’s return, however, might come as much more of a surprise, especially given the breakdown he suffered in the film’s closing moments.
With all the talk of Mr. Freeze somehow being incorporated into the sequel, a return by the Riddler might not be exactly what fans are hoping for. Of course, Dano’s return doesn’t mean he’ll play a major role or be the primary antagonist once again, especially as Reeves looks to build Batman’s Rogues Gallery throughout the different projects set within his Gotham-verse. Given there are over two years until The Batman-Part II hits theaters on October 3, 2025, this is just the first turn of the rumor mill for the cast of the film.
