Sebastian Stan may be heading to Gotham City. The Oscar-nominated star of The Apprentice is in talks to co-star with Robert Pattinson in DC Studios’ The Batman Part II.
Stan is no stranger to costumed heroes and villains, having played Bucky Barnes/The Winter Soldier in numerous Marvel movies. It’s unclear who he’ll play in future Dark Knight adventures, and whether he’ll be Bruce Wayne’s enemy or ally.
The long-awaited superhero sequel, directed by Matt Reeves, is scheduled to begin filming next spring from Warner Bros. for a theatrical release in October 2027. “The Batman” was released in theaters in March 2022 and grossed $772 million worldwide.
The Batman Part II, written by Reeves and Mattson Tomlin, recently added Academy Award nominee Scarlett Johansson to an already star-studded supporting cast, with Colin Farrell as Oz Cobb (aka The Penguin), Jeffrey Wright as Commissioner James Gordon, and Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth. Barry Keoghan is also set to reprise his role as the Joker. Johansson and Stan worked together on several Avengers adventures. He previously co-starred with Pattinson in The Devil All the Time, a southern gothic film that debuted on Netflix in 2020.
“The Batman Part II” has endured a long period of conception as Reeves has strived to build on the critically acclaimed and laborious first take on the comic book adventure.
“It’s been a long journey, but I’m incredibly excited. I’m really proud of the script that me and Mattson wrote,” Reeves told Variety at the Emmy Awards in September.
The filmmaker also revealed how much effort “The Batman” team went to to keep the story secret. “We put[the script]in a secret pouch, literally locked in a code.[Pattinson]was in New York at the time, and everything was under high security.”
The Batman Part II is not officially part of the newly rebooted DCU, but continues to be in development under James Gunn and Peter Safran’s DC Studios banner. The new world of cinematic superheroes began last summer with “Superman,” which grossed $615 million worldwide. “Supergirl” will be released in theaters next (June 26th), followed by “Clayface” (released in September 2026), the “Superman” sequel “Man of Tomorrow” (released in July 2027), and the new “Wonder Woman” movie currently in production.
Stan recently starred in the MCU feature film Thunderbolts, which was a disappointing box office success. His credits include “I, Tonya” and “A Different Man.” He will next be seen in Avengers: Doomsday and the thriller Fjord.
DC Studios has not commented on casting. Stan is repped by CAA and B-Side Management. Deadline first reported Stan’s casting.
