Sebastian Stan Compares ‘The Batman: Part II’ to ‘The Godfather: Part II'

Matt Reeves has spent years cultivating an almost obsessive level of secrecy around his Batman universe, treating every plot detail like classified information. That approach has only intensified as production on the long-awaited sequel has moved forward, leaving fans to piece together scraps of information from cast interviews rather than any official marketing rollout.

Sebastian Stan, one of the more high-profile new additions to the cast, has become one of the more candid voices navigating that secrecy while still finding ways to express genuine enthusiasm for the project. Speaking during press for his Cannes-winning film ‘Fjord’ at the Toronto International Film Festival, Stan opened up about what filming the sequel has actually felt like from the inside.

Rather than offering a vague, diplomatic soundbite, Stan made a bold comparison that immediately set social media ablaze. He compared the experience of working on ‘The Batman: Part II’ to making ‘The Godfather Part II,’ widely regarded as one of the greatest sequels ever produced.

Speaking with Variety, Stan described walking onto set and genuinely believing he might be part of something on that level, saying, “I think we’re making f***ing ‘Godfather Part Two,'” a comparison he shared in comments reported by Variety.

Stan seemed at least somewhat aware of how bold the statement sounded even as he made it. He followed up by saying he didn’t want to overhype the film, while still insisting he genuinely feels that highly about what director Matt Reeves has built, noting Reeves has spent three years shaping the sequel into its current form.

That level of conviction stands out given how tight-lipped Stan has otherwise been about his actual role in the film. He’s widely rumored to be playing Harvey Dent, though he’s repeatedly declined to confirm the casting directly, and reportedly grows visibly uncomfortable whenever the character’s name comes up in interviews.

Despite that secrecy, Stan did offer some insight into what draws him to the project beyond the scale of Reeves’ ambition. He described the film as grounded and real, characteristics he said drew him to the story in the first place, suggesting the sequel leans further into the noir-inflected realism that defined Reeves’ first ‘Batman’ film rather than escalating into more conventional superhero spectacle.

Stan’s path to the DC universe came together somewhat unconventionally. He explained that Reeves had seen and admired his performance in ‘The Apprentice,’ while around the same time Stan reached out directly to DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn to let him know he was ready and available whenever an opportunity arose.

That kind of proactive networking paid off, landing Stan a role in one of the most anticipated superhero sequels in recent memory. His comparison to ‘The Godfather Part II’ has already drawn plenty of skepticism online, with some pointing out the tonal gap between Coppola’s sprawling multigenerational crime epic and a detective-noir story centered on a billionaire in a bat suit.

Whether ‘The Batman: Part II’ can genuinely live up to that comparison remains to be seen, especially with the film still deep in its notoriously secretive production process. For now, Stan’s comments have only added another layer of intrigue to a sequel that already had fans buzzing about everything from casting mysteries to Reeves’ famously locked-down script.