“The Batman: Part II” will be shot by Oscar-winning cinematographer Erik Messerschmidt, filmmaker Matt Reeves confirmed on Tuesday. Messerschmidt steps in for the sequel after Greig Fraser (“Dune”) shot the first film to great acclaim — legendary DP Roger Deakins called “The Batman” the best-shot film of 2022.
Messerschmidt first burst onto the scene as the primary cinematographer of David Fincher’s excellent Netflix series “Mindhunter.” He continued his collaboration with the filmmaker on the black-and-white 2020 film “Mank,” which earned Messerschmidt the Oscar for Best Cinematography as he evoked 1930s and ’40s Hollywood in the chronicle of the writing of “Citizen Kane.”
He’s been busy in the interim, shooting Fincher’s 2023 film “The Killer,” Michael Mann’s “Ferrari” and Ridley Scott’s upcoming new film “The Dog Stars.” Messerschmidt is currently shooting Fincher’s “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” follow-up starring Brad Pitt for Netflix, following the further adventures of the Cliff Booth character in a screenplay by Quentin Tarantino.
“The Batman 2” is finally gearing up to begin production in 2026 ahead of an October 2027 release date. Robert Pattinson will return as the Caped Crusader and Colin Farrell is back as The Penguin with a script by Reeves and Mattson Tomlin, but further details are under wraps.
Reeves confirmed the news of Messerschmidt’s involvement on Twitter.
Fraser is due to be booked and busy as the cinematographer of Sam Mendes’ four movies about the Beatles for Apple, which are set to begin production next year. He most recently shot Phil Lord and Chris Miller’s “Project Hail Mary” and won an Oscar for his work on “Dune: Part Two.”
News of Messerschmidt’s involvement was first reported by The Insneider.