The Batman Part II delayed by a YEAR - with hotly-anticipated film starring Robert Pattinson now set to debut in 2026

The Batman Part II's release date has been delayed by a year.

The Robert Pattinson-starring sequel - the first instalment of which was released in March 2022, will now debut October 2, 2026, per The Hollywood Reporter.

The film was part of a slate of Warner Bros. films that have been pushed around, and the Maggie Gyllenhaal-directed film The Bride! has now taken the superhero film's original date of October 3, 2025.

Insiders told the publication the project's delay was related to last year's industry strikes.

The movie, which was directed and co-written by Matt Reeves, was centered on the DC Comics superhero of the same name and followed Batman as he attempted to protect Gotham City from The Riddler. 

The Batman Part II's release date has been delayed by a full year (pictured Robert Pattinson as Batman in 2022)

The Matt Reeves-directed project - which will also be followed up by a Colin Farrell-led Penguin spinoff series - is now set to premiere on October 2, 2026

The film featured the talents of an ensemble cast that included the likes of Zoe Kravitz, Paul Dano and Jeffrey Wright.

The Batman was initially set to be released in 2021 but the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic delayed its debut.

The feature ultimately became a hit with critics, and it holds a score of 85% on Rotten Tomatoes. 

The movie was also successful with audiences, and it grossed just over $772 million during its period of release.

A spinoff series centered on The Penguin played by Colin Farrell is set to debut later this year, and another show focusing on the efforts of the Gotham City Police Department is also in the works.

Development on a sequel to The Batman began in 2019, and several key cast members were given contract options to reprise their roles in future DC Comics-based movies, according to Variety. 

Pattinson also spoke about reprising his role as Bruce Wayne during an interview with Empire that was released in 2021. 

The movie, which was directed and co-written by Matt Reeves, was centered on the DC Comics superhero of the same name and followed him as he attempted to protect Gotham City from The Riddler

The film featured the talents of an ensemble cast that included the likes of Zoe Kravitz (pictured as Catwoman), Paul Dano and Jeffrey Wright

Development on a sequel to The Batman began in 2019, and several key cast members were given contract options to reprise their roles in future DC Comics-based movies, according to Variety

The star of the Twilight franchise stated that he wanted to see the Caped Crusader's 'psychology...grow over two more movies.'

Producer Dylan Clark also stated that The Batman would serve as 'a foundation' to 'build stories upon' during the interview. 

The sequel to The Batman was revealed to have been officially greenlit at CinemaCon in April of 2022.

At the time, it was also revealed that Pattinson and Reeves would return to star in and direct the upcoming movie.