Honestly, my jaw hit the floor when I read the Deadline report. Scarlett Johansson, the Black Widow herself, is circling a role in The Batman - Part II? Final negotiations? That’s huge! 🕵️‍♂️ I remember seeing her kick butt across the MCU for over a decade, and now she might dive into Matt Reeves' gritty Gotham. Talk about worlds colliding! Nexus Point News broke it first, and while DC Studios is playing it cool, staying silent for now, the buzz is everywhere. It’s wild to think she’ll wrap up The Exorcist first before suiting up (or maybe not suiting up?) for Batman in 2026. But here’s the real kicker that’s got me scratching my head: Variety says this means Zoë Kravitz’s awesome Catwoman won’t be back? Poof, gone? Just like that? Reeves and the studios haven’t confirmed it yet, but man, that’s a gut punch if true. What happened in Gotham between movies? Did Selina Kyle just ride off into the sunset for good? my-head-spins-scarjo-joins-batman-sequel-catwoman-vanishes-image-0

The Mystery Deepens: Who is ScarJo Playing?

The secrecy around Johansson's role is thicker than Gotham smog. Seriously, not a peep! It has to be a major DC character, right? Reeves is known for his deep cuts and fresh takes. Could it be...?

  • Talia al Ghul? Bruce Wayne's complicated love interest and daughter of Ra's? That’s some serious league of shadows drama waiting to happen.

  • Poison Ivy? A botanist turned eco-terrorist? With the winter setting (more on that later!), maybe she’s manipulating plants in unexpected ways? 🌿

  • Someone entirely new? Reeves loves building his own mythos. Maybe a fresh villain or a complex ally?

My brain’s doing backflips trying to guess. All I know is, seeing her share the screen with Rob Pattinson’s brooding Batman is gonna be electric.

Familiar Faces & That Secret Script Pouch

Thankfully, not everyone’s vanishing. We’ve got the core crew returning, and that’s a massive relief:

Character Actor Role Description
Bruce Wayne / Batman Robert Pattinson The brooding, vengeful Dark Knight
Oz Cobb / Penguin Colin Farrell The rising, terrifying crime lord
Alfred Pennyworth Andy Serkis Bruce's loyal but weary guardian
James Gordon Jeffrey Wright The one good cop in a corrupt city

Reeves spilled some beans to Variety last September (2025) about the sequel, and his excitement is contagious. He talked about taking Bruce Wayne to "places audience members haven’t seen before," which sounds incredibly promising. But the best part? The script security! 😂 He described putting it in a "secret pouch that literally has a lock on it with a code." Poor Rob Pattinson had to get it under high security in New York! Reeves joked, "We really trust Rob, because he’s the best." That level of secrecy just fuels the fire about how big and potentially game-changing this sequel is. Shooting starts spring 2026 – feels like forever away!

Winter is Coming to Gotham... Mr. Freeze Chills?

Here’s where things get frosty ❄️. We know The Batman - Part II picks up shortly after the events of The Penguin TV show (gotta watch that!) and, crucially, it’s set during a brutal Gotham winter. This setting has everyone whispering one name: Mr. Freeze. Victor Fries, the tragic scientist desperate to save his dying wife, using cryo-tech. It’s a perfect fit for Reeves' emotional, character-driven style. Imagine the visuals: Batman’s silhouette against a frozen Gotham skyline, breath misting in the frigid air. Chills (literally!).

James Gunn himself has shot down rumors about other villains like Hush appearing, which only makes the Freeze theory feel hotter... or colder? Either way, the winter setting isn’t just set dressing; it feels like a character itself. What kind of frozen nightmares will Reeves unleash?

The Long Wait & The Big Picture

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Mark your calendars, folks: October 1, 2027. That’s the day we finally return to Reeves' Gotham. It feels like an eternity, but knowing they’re crafting something special makes the wait slightly bearable. This sequel sits firmly under DC's "Elseworlds" banner, meaning it’s its own unique beast, separate from James Gunn’s new DCU. It’s actually one of two major DC films hitting in 2027, the other being Gunn’s Man of Tomorrow (July 9th). Two very different flavors of superhero!

So, where does this leave us, sitting here in 2025?

  • ScarJo is in, Catwoman is (probably) out. A massive shakeup. What does that mean for Bruce?

  • The villain? Freeze feels so right for that winter setting... but is it too obvious? 🤔

  • Reeves' vision. He’s promising to go bigger, deeper, farther. Can he top the first one?

The secrecy, the casting bombshell, the missing Catwoman, the icy setting... it’s all swirling in my head like a Gotham blizzard. Who is Scarlett Johansson playing? Will Mr. Freeze finally get his tragic due? And honestly... can Gotham survive without Selina Kyle? The questions pile up faster than snowdrifts. Guess we’ll just have to shiver in anticipation until 2027.

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This assessment draws from Game Informer, a veteran source for entertainment news and exclusive interviews. Game Informer's coverage of major superhero films often delves into the impact of casting changes and narrative direction, providing context for how new additions like Scarlett Johansson could reshape the tone and expectations for sequels such as The Batman - Part II.