Why I Think Steven Soderbergh Helping Finish The Batman Part II Isn't Justice League Again

Steven Soderbergh is stepping in to help complete The Batman Part II while director Matt Reeves is on a hiatus dealing with a family matter, and Reeves has made clear he isn't leaving the film. To me, this is the farthest thing from the Joss Whedon and Zack Snyder situation that some people are probably already comparing it to, though Winston A. Marshall, who joined me on the show, isn't quite as convinced.

Soderbergh approached Matt Reeves to help finish The Batman Part II

Variety has confirmed that as Matt Reeves continues to attend to an ongoing family matter, Steven Soderbergh, as an admirer of Reeves' work, approached him and will step in with the full support of DC Studios. Soderbergh will help the writer director complete the final weeks of principal photography on The Batman Part II, and the two of them will work closely together with the actors and crew to fulfill Reeves' vision of the film.

Soderbergh said in his own statement, "I thought Reeves work on the Batman was stunning. It was intentional, specific, and rigorously coherent." He added that the goal is to work with Reeves and his team to generate footage that will integrate seamlessly with what has already been shot, so Reeves can properly finish his film.

Reeves clarified on X that he will still be working on the production, just not on the set while principal photography wraps up. In his words: "just to be clear, I'm not leaving the Batman part two. I'm profoundly grateful to Steven for coming to my aid during this challenging time to help me finish principal photography. Thank you to all for your concern and well wishes."

The Batman Part II has already been delayed several times

Warner Bros. and DC announced the production pause in early October, when Reeves temporarily stepped away from the project to handle a family matter. At the time, a rep said the production had the full support of DC Studios and looked forward to continuing the journey soon.

Soderbergh is known for Traffic, Erin Brockovich, Sex, Lies, and Videotape and Ocean's Eleven, and his more recent releases include Black Bag and Presence.

The sequel has gone through several delays since it was announced at Comic-Con 2022. The original release date was October 2, 2026, before Warner Bros. delayed it to October 1, 2027. In June, the film was pushed again to February 2028. Reeves' first Batman came out in March 2022, so that's crazy to me. It would be almost six years between the two movies.

I think Soderbergh stepping in is a good gesture, not a takeover

The story of Matt Reeves stepping away for family matters in the first place is obviously concerning, and your heart breaks for him and whatever else is going on. Whether we ever find out what it is or not, that's for him to know, and that's fine. But the way it went from that story to this one is, to me, a good gesture.

I think people have probably immediately said this is Joss Whedon and Zack Snyder all over again. This is the farthest thing from that, because Reeves isn't being pushed out and he isn't being shut down. He's being assisted and helped by people who want to help him bring the film forward. Nobody is taking a movie that was clearly a vision and changing it into something completely different.

Soderbergh is the kind of director who is that good that if he wanted to make it look like a Steven Soderbergh movie, he would and could, but he won't. He will make it look like a Matt Reeves movie. He is beloved by the casts and crews he works with. I think this shows a testament to his character and to their friendship, and I think it's good for the film business in general to see someone help out a friend like this. It's also a job. I'm sure Warner Bros. will be taking care of him, but I'm sure it's not a break the bank thing, and I don't think Soderbergh would do that. With Reeves coming out and saying he's still working on it and just can't be on set, I think this is a good story.

Winston A. Marshall sees too many similarities to call it the opposite

Winston said he wouldn't categorize it as completely the opposite, because there are too many similar things, even if a story that starts the same way doesn't have to end at the same destination. He listed the overlap: a movie that was delayed at the beginning of a universe, a director dealing with a horrible family emergency, a studio that needs to finish, and someone else being brought in.

He agreed the big differences are that Soderbergh and Reeves are working closely together, whereas Snyder was fully gone and Whedon was doing whatever he wanted, and that Soderbergh has the respect of the cast and crew, compared to the stories that came out about Whedon after the fact. Winston said those differences should in theory make this different, but he isn't surprised by anyone who hears this news and feels like they're in the Matrix and deja vu just happened. His concern is that this might further derail a movie that has already been delayed so many times, when people have really wanted it.

I think Matt Reeves speaking up is so important

I think that's exactly why it's so important that Reeves tweeted something out. If he had stayed silent, people would be asking what he thinks about it, and wondering whether the studio is just doing this because it needs to finish the movie, or whether it wants to change things up completely. But this is clearly to help the movie get made in Reeves' vision, and here is Reeves saying a friend is coming to his aid when he needs it and that he's not stepping off the project. He has basically taken someone he trusts, who is a fantastic director, to carry out the way he'd like things done.

It reminds me a little bit of A.I. Artificial Intelligence with Spielberg and Kubrick. I think Kubrick died right around the same time, and I think half the movie was directed by Kubrick and half by Spielberg. You definitely feel the Spielberg aspect in there, but he also tried to make it blend together so it felt like a Kubrick movie. This isn't the same thing, though. I don't know what's going on with Matt Reeves, but he's still with us. This is about getting across the vision this guy wants, and it's not a replacement situation, not even close.

Winston's Cowboys-fan caution versus my faith in Soderbergh

Winston said our experiences shape how we respond to things, and as a Cowboys fan he has looked at seasons and thought this was the year, with a lot of things looking similar and maybe a better record, only for the result to be the same. He has faith that they will do what's best for everybody and that it will work out, but he said a small cynicism has slowly developed in his brain from being promised things, not just with the Cowboys but in life.

I understand that, and I think it's fair. I just have more faith in it, maybe because it is Soderbergh and because of what you hear from casts and studios that have worked with him. Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't remember bad stories about Soderbergh. He's a hard worker who can knock out movies, and not lazily. He's fantastic. If you can get him, you want him, and this just shows who he is: someone who sees that something is going on with a colleague, loved what he did with the first movie, understands it, and wants to help.

The fact that we're getting The Batman Part II with a Steven Soderbergh assist, I think, does nothing but elevate the movie, as long as it's still what Reeves wants to do and he's the one calling the shots. To put it in football terms, it's as if the head coach is calling the plays from home. Soderbergh isn't an assistant coach. He's another head coach who happens to be filling in and calling the plays the head coach wants.

Winston recalls Justice League also had a stamp of approval at first

Winston pointed out that Soderbergh can only do that to the best of his ability. Unless Reeves is on a Zoom call the whole time, which we don't know, Soderbergh is still going to have to make creative choices, and that leaves a minor bit of apprehension. He also said he's pretty sure there was a statement with Justice League saying Snyder gave Whedon a thumbs up and was working with him before he was fully out, even though it obviously went in a completely different direction.

To me, that's such a different situation. That was the studio saying it wanted the movie to be more fun, and I don't think they were vibing with Snyder's vision in the first place. Winston agreed that was fair, but said the statement put out at the time, at least when Whedon was initially announced, framed it as okay by Snyder and as a stamp of approval, before it took a whole different direction on the back end. That's where his apprehension comes from. He said the difference with Soderbergh, based on his reputation for his movies and for collaborating with people, is that there's less of a fear, but that doesn't mean the fear isn't there.

Soderbergh only has to lock into Reeves' Fincher-like vibe

I get it. But the other thing to look at when comparing the two situations is that when you brought Whedon in on a Snyder movie, the styles couldn't be more different, and the movie itself was being pushed toward an Avengers style with humor that it wasn't designed for. With Reeves' first film, everyone says it felt like Matt Reeves' telling of a David Fincher movie. So really, Soderbergh just has to lock into that vibe. If he started making a Joel Schumacher version of Batman, which he won't, then you'd be asking what he is doing. But that's not what this is.

I highly doubt Whedon and Snyder were having any really solid conversations about where a scene was going or what to do in it. Here, Reeves and Soderbergh will continuously have those conversations. It's obviously unfortunate that Reeves can't finish it himself, but I think Soderbergh coming in for the assist is a good thing if they want to get this movie done, especially with Reeves still on board and making sure it happens.

Do you think Steven Soderbergh's involvement will keep The Batman Part II on track?