The world breathed a collective sigh of relief when it was confirmed that The Batman wouldn’t be another origin story for the Dark Knight, because you’d have to travel pretty far to find someone who hasn’t seen Thomas and Martha Wayne gunned down in a Gotham City alleyway, and even further to locate anyone who couldn’t at least tell you how Bruce’s parents died.
Matt Reeves’ reboot picks up with the nocturnal vigilante currently in the midst of his second year on the job, which avoids the setup but still makes Robert Pattinson’s Caped Crusader something of a rookie. Based on the sole trailer we’ve seen so far, it looks as though Paul Dano’s Riddler will be positioned as the big bad, but we’ve been inundated with sequel talk and speculation ever since cameras first started rolling.
A new rumor claims that the second installment in The Batman franchise will draw inspiration from The Long Halloween, and while it’s strictly unconfirmed for now and will no doubt stay that way until at least a little while after the opener hits theaters in March of next year, several elements fit what we know about the rebooted mythology.
The Long Halloween unfolds during Batman’s early years, following a serial killer named Holiday, who lives up to the moniker by committing a monthly murder. The World’s Greatest Detective teams up with Harvey Dent and James Gordon to try and crack the case, while simultaneously attempting to nip a brewing crime war in the bud.
It’s packed full of twists, turns and cameos from some fan favorite characters, and it’s got a narrative angle we haven’t really seen on the big screen before, but for now we’ll just have to wait and see what the future holds for The Batman‘s subsequent adventures.