Along with a first look at the movie's official logo and a behind-the-scenes photo from Jeffrey Wright (Jim Gordon), we got a new shot from the set of The Batman - Part II from director Matt Reeves last night.
The photo, which featured a Funko POP of Robert Pattinson's Dark Knight beside a digital clock with the time 8:12 AM, didn't appear to reveal very much at first glance, but fans are convinced that Reeves was hinting at something here.
Some believe that the time might be a nod to Detective Comics issue #812, which was part of the City of Crime arc. This story focused on Batman taking on a drug ring and investigating the misappropriation of funds of the Gotham Waterfront Project.
However, the more popular theory points to 8:12 being a reference to Batman issues #8-#12 from Scott Snyder's acclaimed run, which saw the Caped Crusader face off against the Court of Owls.
This is far from the first time speculation has pointed to the COO, and a recent production listing revealed that the sequel's updated working title is "Semper Vigilans."
This translates to "Always Vigilant" or "Ever Watchful," and fuelled speculation that the movie will introduce the shadowy organisation.
In the comics, the nursery rhyme associated with the villainous group: “Beware The Court of Owls, that watches all the time, ruling Gotham from a shadowed perch, behind granite and lime. They watch you at your hearth, they watch you in your bed, speak not a whispered word of them, or they'll send the Talon for your head.”
Reeves recently confirmed that Robert Pattinson (Bruce Wayne/Batman), Jeffrey Wright (Jim Gordon), Andy Serkis (Alfred Pennyworth), Colin Farrell (Oz Cobb/The Penguin), Jayme Lawson (Bella Réal) and Gil Perez-Abraham (Officer Martinez) will reprise their roles, alongside new cast members Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Charles Dance, Sebastian Koch and Brian Tyree Henry.
Reeves did not reveal the characters Gotham City's new additions will play, but we had been led to believe that Stan has been cast as Harvey Dent/Two-Face, Johansson as his wife, Gilda, and Dance as his father, Christopher.
Rumors are circulating that this may not be the case, however, with Jeff Sneider recently reporting that Stan will actually play twisted serial killer Victor Zsasz, while Henry may have been cast as Dent. The insider added that Johansson and Dance "aren't playing big names in the Batman universe, but more like a 'meld' of different characters."
A lot of fans are skeptical about this, especially after some recent comments from Stan.
While speaking to Deadline, the Thunderbolts* actor said that he will play “many roles in this one”.
”'I’m excited, I’m nervous and trying to keep surprising myself,'” he said of taking on Two-Face and working with the hair and makeup teams who have devised how his disfigurement will look."
It's worth noting that Stan didn't actually mention the character himself.
Though plot details for The Batman - Part II are still under wraps, we have been able to piece together a few things based on casting details and comments from Reeves and others involved with the film.
Some fans have grown concerned that the sequel may rehash too many plot details from Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight (more here), but it sounds like Reeves and co. may be cooking up something nobody will expect.
Pattinson was asked about the film during a recent interview, and while he declined to go into detail about the script, he did promise that The Batman 2 will be a "really different type of Batman movie."
"The script is so good. It's kinda crazy, because the first one was a little bit of a different type of Batman movie, and this is a really different type of Batman movie. Hopefully, people will be really pleasantly surprised by it."
The Drama star's comments have prompted theories that the sequel could play out in a single location, taking inspiration from Grant Morrison's acclaimed Arkham Asylum graphic novel.
A new take on the Caped Crusader is set to make his DCU debut in The Brave and the Bold (if not sooner).
The Batman - Part II is set to hit theaters on October 1, 2027.