Credit: DC / Warner Bros.There’s a mystery Batman project in the works, and it may see the return of one of the most beloved iterations of the Dark Knight.
There are a number of Batman projects in the works, including the Matt Reeves-directed sequel The Batman Part II (2027) and the upcoming DC Universe (DCU) reboot The Brave and the Bold (TBA).
Meanwhile, new content starring the Dark Knight has already hit shelves in recent months in the form of comic books like “Absolute Batman”, the novel “Batman: Resurrection”, and the VR (virtual reality) video game sequel “Batman: Arkham Shadow”.
Some of these projects have reunited, or will reunite us with past iterations of the Caped Crusader.
“Batman: Resurrection” is a sequel to Tim Burton’s 1989 film and as such, features Michael Keaton’s portrayal of the Dark Knight, while “Batman: Arkham Shadow” brings back Roger Craig Smith, replacing the late Kevin Conroy, the beloved actor who famously voiced the character in multiple projects that span video games and animated shows and films over the decades.
Related: ‘Batman’ Goes Full R-Rated Horror in Brand-New Installment
Released in October last year, “Arkham Shadow” is the latest installment in the “Arkham” series, following previous titles, “Batman: Arkham Asylum” (2009), “Batman: Arkham City” (2011), “Batman: Arkham Origins” (2013), “Batman: Arkham Knight” (2015), “Batman: Arkham VR” (2016), and “Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League” (2024).
Now, Rocksteady, the developers behind those titles, is reportedly working on a brand-new, “single-player” game featuring the Caped Crusader. Per Bloomberg, during a recent financial call, Warner Bros. Discovery President and CEO David Zaslav addressed the company’s troubled 12 months, which saw poor sales from titles such as “Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League.”
“We recognise [the games business] is substantially underperforming its potential right now,” Zaslav said, before adding that Warner Bros. is working on four major franchise titles within the Mortal Kombat, Games of Thrones, Harry Potter, and DC universes, confirming that the latter two are the “Hogwarts Legacy” sequel and an unspecified new Batman game.
“We are focusing our development efforts on those core franchises, with proven studios to improve our success ratio,” he explained. He also expanded on the DC project, saying that Rocksteady is “looking to return to Batman for a single-player game.”
Related: Batman: Every Returning Version of the Dark Knight Explained
According to the Bloomberg article, this news follows the troubled productions and scrapping of several DC titles, all of which were, or are at different points in their production.
These include a Wonder Woman game (apparently still in development), a John Constantine game (which never got past the approval stage), and a Flash game, which was shelved following the poor box office performance of the 2023 DCEU (DC Extended Universe) film of the same name starring Ezra Miller (Barry Allen/The Flash).
Related: Michael Keaton’s Batman History Explained as Official “Burton-Verse” Sequel Looms
Are We Getting Another “Batman: Arkham” Sequel?
Whether or not the upcoming title will be VR, or even an “Arkham” addition, remains to be seen. However, with Rocksteady developing the project, it’s hard to imagine them steering away from the incredibly popular gaming series that has been a proven success since 2009, with the exception of last year’s divisive entry, “Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League.”
Much like 2016’s “Batman: Arkham VR”, the latest installment in the beloved series, “Arkham Shadow”, allows players to fully immerse themselves in the world of Gotham City by slipping into the cape and cowl and taking down criminals from common henchman to Rogues Gallery icons such as Harvey Dent/Two-Face and The Joker.
There’s no release date for the upcoming game.
Are you excited about the new Batman game? Would you rather a new entry in the “Arkham” series or something entirely new? Let us know in the comments down below!