Andy Serkis Wants The Batman 2 To Crossover With The Next Netflix Show

Andy Serkis would like The Batman 2 to crossover with Netflix's The Sandman.

By Douglas Helm | Published

Andy Serkis was the perfect Alfred in Matt Reeves’ The Batman, giving the character a tough, but caring personality. Andy Serkis recently spoke to Screen Rant about his ideas for the upcoming The Batman 2, saying “Villain-wise, I’d like to see… the Sandman. [Laughs] A little bit of a crossover.”

Of all the villains Andy Serkis could have picked for The Batman 2, the Sandman definitely seems like a long shot. Although both characters are in DC’s stable of characters, the two just don’t really cross paths and Batman has a huge villain roster of his own that still hasn’t been completely cycled through for live-action.

Still, it’s certainly an interesting idea and fans of the Neil Gaiman comic book series (and the new Netflix show) would probably be intrigued to see it happen.

the sandman
The Sandman

Of course, Andy Serkis likely has some personal attachment to the Sandman after playing Matthew the Raven in the 2020 podcast series based on Gaiman’s comic book run. Perhaps DC could appease Serkis by giving him a role in the recently confirmed second season of the Netflix series instead. Serkis is an extremely versatile actor and could play any number of fantastical characters from that universe, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see him join the cast.

While The Batman 2 is sure to bring back Andy Serkis, it seems unlikely that we’re going to see the Sandman causing much trouble for Robert Pattinson’s Batman. There are plenty of other theories for who the villain is going to be in the eventual sequel, with all of them having a lot of potential. Last time, Matt Reeves gave a more grounded, serial killer-like take on the Riddler (Paul Dano) along with a new take on the Penguin (Colin Farrell).

We also briefly met Barry Keoghan’s Joker in The Batman, so fans are counting on possibly seeing him pop up in the sequel. Other villains that fans have thrown out as potential antagonists include Mr. Freeze, Hush, Calendar Man, Two-Face, and The Court of Owls. Andy Serkis might be the first one who has thrown out the Sandman as an idea for The Batman 2, so you’ve got to give him props for originality.

Maybe Andy Serkis could get his wish in another way, with the Sandman popping up somewhere other than The Batman 2 in the growing universe Matt Reeves is making over at DC. The upcoming Penguin HBO Max series that stars Colin Farrell seems like another unlikely place for the character to show up, but that doesn’t mean there couldn’t be potential for the Sandman to show up in other spin-offs. Plus, who knows what could happen now that James Gunn has been handed the reins on guiding the DC movie and TV universe forward?

We may have to wait a while before we can see Andy Serkis reprise his role as Alfred in The Batman 2, but the actor has plenty of projects coming up in the meantime. Most recently, he popped up in the Star Wars universe in the Andor series. Although there’s no release date yet, he’s also co-starring in the upcoming film based on Idris Elba’s television series Luther.