Well, something leaked this weekend.
Photos and a little video out of a prosthetics workshop, shot while Heidi Klum’s Halloween costume was being built, caught some things in the background that might be connected to THE BATMAN PART II. And within hours, the internet did what the internet does.
The clickbait sites lost their minds. Headlines screamed “CONFIRMED!” Roles were “REVEALED!” Thumbnails got yellowed, red arrows got drawn on blurry photos like it was the Zapruder film.
And then the fans lost their minds.
Here’s the thing: You’re not going to read what those supposed roles are here. Not today, not ever. BOF doesn’t do spoilers. I could confirm or deny, but I’m not. Why? If you want to walk into THE BATMAN PART II in February 2028 knowing as little as possible, BOF a safe place. It always has been. I respect Matt Reeves and all involved with this film.
But I do want to talk about the circus around it, because the circus has gotten ridiculous.
First, the clickbait crowd.
Blurry objects in the background of somebody else’s Halloween costume video is not “confirmation” of anything. It’s a Rorschach test with a comments section. Confirmation comes from the studio or the filmmaker. But saying “We’re just guessing” doesn’t generate clicks, and “CONFIRMED!” does. So they print “CONFIRMED!” and let you do the rest. That’s not reporting. That’s a slot machine.
And here’s the dirty little secret: They don’t care if they’re wrong. There’s no penalty for being wrong — nobody unsubscribes, nobody gets fired, and the same sites will scream the opposite headline next month if a different blurry photo tells a different story.
But here’s the part that ought to make you angrier: They don’t care if they’re right, either. Because if they’re right, they’ve just spoiled something Matt Reeves and his people did not want revealed — not yet, and not like this. Somebody else’s work, somebody else’s reveal, burned up for hits on social media or website traffic.
Right or wrong, it doesn’t matter to them. It was never about the movie. It’s about clicks. It’s about chasing followers and engagement. It’s about trying to be a social media influencer, not a journalist.
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Now, to the fans, I get it. I do. This is Batman. We care. Hell, I’ve cared about this character on film longer than some (probably most) of the folks freaking out have been alive. But can we please stop doing this dance?
We’ve done this before. Michael Keaton was “Mr. Mom.” Heath Ledger was that pretty boy from the teen movies. Robert Pattinson was “the sparkly vampire guy.” Colin Farrell’s casting was rage-questioned because he doesn’t have the same physique as Danny DeVito! These aren’t the only examples.
How’d all that work out?
The freak-out cycle never changes: A rumor drops, the internet melts down, the movie comes out, everybody loves it, and then everybody develops amnesia just in time to melt down over the next rumor. Wash, rinse, repeat.
And let’s talk about the man actually making this movie. Matt Reeves has earned — earned — the benefit of the doubt. THE BATMAN was a masterpiece, and his casting on that film was perfect up and down the call sheet. If Matt Reeves casts somebody, it’s because he sees something the rest of us can’t see from a blurry photo. That’s kind of the whole deal with being a great director.
Now, I’m not going to sit here and pretend BOF doesn’t hear things. I do. You don’t do this for 28 years without people telling you stuff (which they do because they trust me). And I’ll say this, and only this — take it for what it’s worth: I’m not worried. Not even a little bit.
So, here’s my advice, and it’s the same advice I give every time this circus comes to town: Let Matt Reeves and company do their thing they why they want to do it. THE BATMAN PART II arrives in February 2028. There’s a version of the next 15 months where you enjoy the ride instead of arguing over screen grabs. That’s the version I’m going with and I am enjoying the ride.
So, calm down. Trust Reeves. And seriously, stop letting Twitter “journalists,” clickbait sites and comments sections do your thinking for you. Bill “Jett” Ramey
