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Before The Batman – Part II comes to theaters in 2027, DC Studios has an exciting slate of movies to deliver to fans in the next couple of years. The Batman 2 will be DC Studios’ second new Elseworlds movie in theaters, following Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga’s work on Joker: Folie á Deux in late 2024. As director Matt Reeves continues to build his Batman universe, the blue brand will also expand on multiple other stories for heroes and villains alike.
DC Studios has four new movies scheduled for release in theaters before The Batman 2. As of writing, co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran are deep into their confirmed release slate of movies and TV shows, both from the mainline DC Universe and the exciting group of Elseworlds projects. While some of these projects will be much different than Matt Reeves’ next solo movie, they will help build the greater DC story through exciting characters alongside Robert Pattinson’s Caped Crusader.
Every DC Movie Being Released Before The Batman 2
How Batman: Knightfall Will Compare to The Batman 2
Warner Bros. Animation has plans for a multi-movie adaptation of the Knightfall story from DC Comics, the first part of which will be released sometime in 2026. This movie will adapt an iconic story in which Bane breaks Batman’s back and frees the Caped Crusader’s entire rogues gallery from Arkham Asylum, putting Gotham into a state of chaos and anarchy.
This story should at least share some similarities with The Batman 2, with both projects embracing the hero’s darker nature and his connection to Gotham City. While the animated nature of this movie will make it vastly different than its live-action companion, using the same leading hero will inevitably lead to people comparing the two Dark Knights, especially as the Knightfall leading hero makes his debut.
Both of these movies will gain plenty of hype as part of DC’s upcoming release slate, but The Batman 2 is expected to far outgross Knightfall at the box office and become more popular with fans on social media. Even so, having an animated Batman movie in theaters will add some variety to DC’s schedule and the superhero movie world as a whole.
Expected Batman Elements in Supergirl
Following 2025’s Superman, DC Studios will add to its main timeline franchise with Craig Gillespie’s Supergirl, the first solo movie for this heroine in over 40 years. Starring Milly Alcock, Eve Ridley, Matthias Schoenaerts, David Krumholtz, and Jason Momoa, this film will adapt the Woman of Tomorrow storyline from DC Comics, in which Kara Zor-El celebrates hr 23rd birthday before meeting a young girl named Ruthye and embarking on a scary quest for revenge.
Supergirl is expected to be vastly different than The Batman 2, largely due to the stark contrast between the movie’s leading characters. While Bruce Wayne will find himself in a dark place in Gotham as he tries to rebuild the city and face a horde of his classic villains, Supergirl will be more of an intergalactic road trip, filled with plenty of snark and a revenge plot that may not be as present in Batman’s film.
From a box office perspective, Supergirl may be able to challenge The Batman 2 if it comes in with good reviews and support from DC fans (2022’s The Batman grossed about $772 million worldwide). After 2025’s Superman totaled about $616 million worldwide, Supergirl certainly has a chance to get close to that number, but it will face stiff competition from Toy Story 5 and the live-action Moana.
Supergirl will soar into theaters on June 26.
Batman’s Influence on DCU’s Clayface
A few months after Supergirl‘s run in theaters, the DCU will push forward with its first villain-centric movie, Clayface, directed by James Watkins. Starring Tom Rhys Harries, Naomi Ackie, and Max Minghella, this film will highlight Matt Hagen’s terrifying origin story, going from struggling actor to monster after an experiment turns his body into malleable clay.
Clayface is already part of Batman lore due to its leading character being one of Bruce Wayne’s villains, giving it a natural connection to The Batman 2. Both movies will also be set squarely in Gotham City (in two different universes), and while Clayface is confirmed to be a horror movie, The Batman 2 will surely have plenty of its own scary moments, courtesy of Matt Reeves’ directing style.
Due to Clayface being an R-rated horror movie, it may struggle to compete with The Batman 2 at the box office, as Reeves’ sequel will be much more accessible to the general public. While Clayface could certainly overperform, as R-rated superhero movies are becoming increasingly popular, it also features a lesser-known villain as its leading character, giving it a bigger challenge in terms of making a dent in the crowded blockbuster market.
Clayface will arrive in theaters on September 11.
How Man of Tomorrow Compares to The Batman 2
As of writing, the last movie with a confirmed release date in James Gunn’s DCU is Man of Tomorrow, the sequel to 2025’s Superman. Starring David Corenswet, Nicholas Hoult, Rachel Brosnahan, Lars Eidinger, and Frank Grillo, this film will pit Clark Kent and Lex Luthor as partners against Brainiac, who poses the biggest threat yet to Earth and its safety.
While both are set in the greater world of DC stories, The Batman 2 and Man of Tomorrow are going to be almost completely different from one another. Pattinson’s solo sequel will bring a dark and gritty look at Gotham and continue his run as a solo hero, while Man of Tomorrow unites an iconic hero and villain in Metropolis in what should be a more fantastical story featuring aliens, epic superpowered antics, and wild drama.
Financially, if Man of Tomorrow can build on everything that comes before it in the DCU, it has a chance to be the franchise’s first big financial hit in theaters. While it will compete with expected hits like Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse, Shrek 5, and the second Minecraft movie, this DC sequel may be able to reach the same highs The Batman hit in 2022, especially with the scale being ramped up to new levels.
Man of Tomorrow will soar into theaters on July 9, 2027.
