A big update about The Batman – Part II just revealed the film’s biggest risk yet. For a long time, updates about The Batman 2 were overly disappointing. Since The Batman‘s ending in 2022, audiences were craving updates about the sequel that would take them back to this new, revered version of Gotham City.

Excitement was raised by the announcement that The Batman – Part II would release in 2025, before two delays pushed the movie back to October 2027. Finally, in June 2025, it was confirmed that the upcoming DC movie had been finalized in the scriptwriting stage and that production would begin in 2026.

After a slew of disappointing updates, this was undoubtedly a cause for celebration, especially given The Batman‘s status as one of the best Batman movies of all time. That said, August 2025 housed another update about The Batman, one much less exciting, that sets up the sequel’s biggest risk going forward.

The Batman 2 Has Reportedly Lost Its Cinematographer, Greig Fraser

The update in question came courtesy of Josh Brolin on the podcast On Film… with Kevin McCarthy. The update provided was that the cinematographer of The Batman, Greig Fraser, may not be returning for the upcoming The Batman – Part II. Fraser is in demand, with fans of several franchises expecting him to return to bring them to life.

The fanbase of The Batman is only one such group, with the other being the fans of the Dune film series. Brolin portrays Gurney Halleck in the Dune movies, explaining the strange sourcing of the claim that Fraser will be busy with four projects besides Dune: Part Three and The Batman – Part II.

According to Brolin, “[Fraser] is doing Sam Mendes’ Beatles thing, the four Beatles movies.“ Of course, Brolin refers to the four movies based on each individual star from The Beatles, which are expected to all be released in 2028. Brolin went on to say, “That’s a huge thing. That takes two years, so he wasn’t able to do [Dune].”

Dune: Part Three began production in July 2025 and will likely take the better part of a year. The Batman 2 is expected to begin production in the spring of 2026, meaning that, based on Brolin’s claim that Fraser is busy for the next two years with Mendes’ Beatles films, the cinematographer will surely have to miss out on a return to Gotham, too.

Greig Fraser Was One Of The Batman’s Best Aspects

Admittedly, Fraser’s potential absence from The Batman – Part II is a big blow, as his cinematography was one of the best aspects of The Batman. It is worth noting that many aspects of The Batman were incredible, further reinforcing just how great Fraser’s pH๏τography was.

The gritty, grounded look of Gotham, though one that still exhibited great aspects of its source material, was made possible by Fraser and his collaboration with director Matt Reeves. Fraser found a way to use the Volume, an alternative to greenscreen he developed during production on The Mandalorian, to great effect.

This, as well as Fraser’s already great eye for beautiful sH๏τ composition, allowed The Batman to be the best-looking superhero movie released in a very long time. Fraser’s work on The Batman saw him nominated for a BAFTA in Best Cinematography. As a result, many who valued the visual style of the film hoped he would return for a sequel.

The Batman 2’s Greig Fraser Replacement Is Its Biggest Risk Yet

Sadly, it seems as though Fraser’s commitment to Sam Mendes’ Beatles biopics will keep him away from The Batman – Part II. With production set to begin on four back-to-back movies that are all due in 2028, it is hard to see Fraser having the time to return to Gotham in between. Therefore, replacing Fraser is The Batman – Part II’s biggest risk.

The production team will need to find someone who can either emulate Fraser’s work on the first movie or bring their own, unique visual style that will help The Batman 2 stand out in the way its predecessor did. Regarding the former situation, there were several cinematographers working on The Batman‘s spin-off, The Penguin.

The cinematographers who worked on The Penguin were Darren Tiernan, Jonathan Freeman, David Franco, and Zoë White. Several episodes received nominations from different awarding bodies for the cinematography, with the four seamlessly carrying over from Fraser and bringing Reeves’ seedy version of Gotham to vibrant life.

Any of these cinematographers would surely be able to take over from Fraser for The Batman – Part II. This way, they would be familiar with the visual language of Matt Reeves’ Gotham while also bringing their professional distinctions into play with a bigger budget and on a cinematic scale.

If Matt Reeves and his peers opt for a different route, though, there are several other candidates to replace Fraser. One such candidate is Roger Deakins, an Academy Award-winning cinematographer who tends to collaborate with Sam Mendes. Now that Mendes has hired Fraser, Deakins could go the other way.

One final option is Michael Seresin. Seresin worked on Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, which is largely considered the best-sH๏τ Harry Potter film. Moreover, Seresin has worked with Reeves on two different occasions.

Seresin was responsible for cinematography on Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and War for the Planet of the Apes, both directed by Matt Reeves. Seresin also sH๏τ Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle, directed by The Batman actor Andy Serkis, thus providing another link to The Batman.

Seresin will already have a strong working relationship with Reeves, and his cinematography in the Planet of the Apes series was highly regarded. Evidently, replacing Fraser with anyone would be a risk for The Batman – Part II, but it is safe to say there is no lack of suitors.