The Batman has been delayed along with several other DC movies. As reported by Variety, the upcoming comic book adaptation has been pushed to 2022. It has previously been set to arrive on October 1, 2021. It will now hit theaters on March 4, 2022. 

Matt Reeves is directing the new iteration of the franchise. Robert Pattinson is starring as the Caped Crusader. A trailer was released over the summer during DC FanDome, which was received well by the collective internet. Filming kicked off earlier in the year but was delayed when the coronavirus pandemic it. Pattinson had also tested positive for COVID-19 after filming resumed, which further delayed the project. 

Dwayne Johnson’s long-gestating Black Adam movie has also been delayed indefinitely. It had previously been set to arrive in December 2021. Johnson will star as the main character with Jaume Collet-Serra directing. Filming is expected to begin before the year’s end. 

Elsewhere in the DC Films universe, The Flash is moving from June 3, 2022, to November 4, 2022. Ezra Miller will return as Barry Allen, with Andy Muschietti directing. Shazam 2, meanwhile, will move from November 4, 2022, to June 2, 2023. Zachary Levi will once again return as the titular hero with David F. Sandberg directing. 

This all comes as movie theaters continue to struggle. The box office has taken a nosedive in 2020, with movie theaters shut down for much of the year. Many of them opened again recently in the U.S. and throughout the world. With the exception of China, the results have been underwhelming. Tenet was the first huge release to open wide and didn’t meet expectations. The New Mutants also finally arrived and became a certified bomb. 

All of this to say, the delay for The Batman is not surprising. What is perhaps surprising is Wonder Woman 1984 sticking to its current release date. The sequel is still set to arrive on December 25, Christmas Day, of this year. With Black Widow and virtually every other blockbuster leaving 2020, it is surprising that Warner Bros. is sticking to its guns on this one. Though that could change between now and then. 

The cast for The Batman includes Zoe Kravitz as Catwoman, Paul Dano as the Riddler, Jeffrey Wright as Commissioner Gordon, John Turturro as Carmine Falcone, Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth and Colin Farrell as the Penguin, with Peter Sarsgaard and newcomer Jayme Lawson rounding out the ensemble. Mattson Tomlin co-wrote the screenplay with Reeves. 

So what do you think? Are you still excited for the movie? Did Warner Bros. make the right move? Join in on the conversation over on Facebook or Twitter.