The DC Extended Universe saw monumental change when actor Ben Affleck left the role of Bruce Wayne. Shortly afterward, it was announced that Robert Pattinson would don the cape of the Dark Knight in Matt Reeves' upcoming film, The Batman.
Speaking at DC FanDome, Walter Hamada, president of DC Films, revealed that this would not impact continuity, thanks to the concept of the multiverse, introduced by the Arrowverse series, The Flash. "This really opens the door for us to do more crossovers, to really establish this idea that there can be a Flash on TV and a Flash in the movies," Hamada explained, "You don't have to pick one or the other, you can love both." He went on to state, "On one Earth, you have Gal and Jason and Ezra, as this Justice League and you can continue telling these stories, while on another Earth, you can have a more grounded, real, Year Two Batman," the latter being a reference to the world of Reeves' upcoming film.
"There is that one Earth, that greater Earth with this existing Justice League and another that's sort of happening with that Year Two Batman," Hamada continued, before explaining characters that stood out, such as the Joker, who does not exist on either Earth, "But that's OK. Matt Reeves can continue to build out his Gotham."
The Batman is directed by Matt Reeves and co-written by Reeves and Mattson Tomlin. The film stars Robert Pattinson as Bruce Wayne/ Batman, Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth, Jeffrey Wright as James Gordon, Zoë Kravitz as Selina Kyle/ Catwoman, Colin Farrell as Oswald Cobblepot/ The Penguin, Paul Dano as Edward Nashton/ The Riddler, John Turturro as Carmine Falcone and Peter Sarsgaard as District Attorney Gil Colson. The Batman is set to be released in theaters on October 1, 2021.