DC Comics’ Dark Knight has a long history in movies and television, and now he’s poised to return to the big screen in The Batman, the upcoming feature directed and written by Dawn of the Planet of the Apes filmmaker Matt Reeves. The film has a new release date, and we have our first peek at Batman’s new look, his new Batmobile, and other much-anticipated elements.
The Batman will be the character’s first solo feature since the conclusion of Christopher Nolan’s acclaimed Dark Knight trilogy and is scheduled to hit theaters in March 2022. Robert Pattinson takes over the role of the Dark Knight, and a number of other well-known faces will play some of Gotham’s most prominent citizens.
Here’s everything we know about The Batman so far:
- Title: The Batman
- Release date: March 4, 2022
- Cast: Robert Pattinson, Colin Farrell, Jeremy Irons, Zoë Kravitz, Jeffrey Wright
- Director: Matt Reeves
New set pictures and footage
Through set photos released on Twitter, we get a glimpse of the grim Gotham in which this Batman story takes place. We see urban decay, partially demolished buildings, and what may be the exterior of the Batcave.
📸 | Novas fotos do set de de The Batman no Warner Bros. Studios no UK.
Via: @DailyMailCeleb pic.twitter.com/hRsEpo9tWs
— The Batman Brasil (@TheBatmanBRA) November 24, 2020
Uma parte do set apresentava um grande portão e portas de aço como parte da Gotham Harbor Iceberg Fishing, que pode ser uma das operações do Pinguim. pic.twitter.com/rfrjrFXpRh
— The Batman Brasil (@TheBatmanBRA) November 24, 2020
📸 | Mais imagens novas do set de de The Batman.
Via: @DailyMailCeleb pic.twitter.com/sNEkIDpngh
— The Batman Brasil (@TheBatmanBRA) November 24, 2020
📸 | Mais imagens do set de de The Batman.
Via: @DailyMailCeleb pic.twitter.com/jbVwo2gpAo
— The Batman Brasil (@TheBatmanBRA) November 24, 2020
Twitter was abuzz in October with footage of Robert Pattinson and Zoë Kravitz (or their stunt doubles) cruising through Liverpool, England. Batman also made it up Liver Building.
‘The Batman’ set footage keeps rolling in! Here is Batman and Catwoman on their bikes. Super cool!pic.twitter.com/9bVhi6Cvn6
— DR Movie News 📽 (@DRMovieNews1) October 13, 2020
Batman is up the Liver Building…🦇 #TheBatman pic.twitter.com/EJ4sxEmTrt
— North West News (@HeartNWNews) October 15, 2020
Batman on top of the Royal Liver Building in #Liverpool. #TheBatman 🦇
📹 Olayka pic.twitter.com/eCjwd6gU2K
— ScouseScene (@scousescene) October 14, 2020
Just Jared has a collection of new images from The Batman set, giving us a new look at some of the film’s important characters. Zoë Kravitz’ Selina Kyle looks dressed to impress while Colin Farrell is practically unrecognizable as Oswald Cobblepot.
Colin Farrell looks unrecognizable as Oswald Cobblepot/The Penguin on the set of "The Batman" with Robert Pattinson & Zoe Kravitz – see the set pics! https://t.co/ScjGi00Rla
— JustJared.com (@JustJared) October 12, 2020
The release date
The expected release date for The Batman has been uncertain or frequently pushed back for most of the project’s development, but Warner Bros. Pictures initially set June 25, 2021, as the official premiere date for The Batman. That date was later pushed back to October 1, 2021, after production was suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic, and then was delayed again to March 4, 2022.
The most recent shifts in release date were caused by the coronavirus pandemic after production of The Batman was halted in March. The film had been shooting in the U.K. for seven weeks before shutting down. Matt Reeves indicated that filming was one-quarter completed when it went on hiatus.
The first trailer
Matt Reeves surprised fans at DC FanDome in August with an unannounced release of The Batman‘s first trailer (see above). Unsurprisingly, this appears to be an extremely dark and gritty take on the Caped Crusader story.
The trailer begins with Edward Nashton aka The Riddler (Paul Dano) duct-taping a corpse that we soon learn is popular mayor Don Mitchell. He leaves behind a coded greeting card that kicks off a new investigation by James Gordon (Jeffrey Wright) and The Batman (Robert Pattinson) that certainly looks like it gets graphic in a hurry. There’s a dingier, more noir-esque look to this trailer, which is right in line with what Reeves teased this movie would look like.
The logo
After Warner Bros. Pictures announced plans for a virtual panel dedicated to The Batman to be held during its DC FanDome event — an online comic convention of sorts occurring August 22-23 — director Matt Reeves offered a preview of the studio’s presentation by revealing the official logo for the film.
Excited to share the very first look at our official #TheBatman logo, and some very cool additional #DCFanDome artwork by the amazing @jimlee — see more of #TheBatman at the #DCFanDome global event in the Hall of Heroes this Saturday, 8/22! #TheBatman #DCFanDome #ForTheFans pic.twitter.com/ApfngNbyor
— Matt Reeves (@mattreevesLA) August 20, 2020
Reeves’ update on Twitter included two images: The logo for The Batman and a piece of promotional art for the film created by Jim Lee, the legendary artist and current publisher and chief creative officer for DC Comics.
The story
Like the Aquaman and Wonder Woman solo movies, The Batman is expected to focus on DC Comics’ famous Dark Knight while unfolding within — but perhaps less directly connected to — the studio’s DC Comics cinematic universe. Reeves has described the story he’s developing as “noir-driven” with Batman “investigating a particular case that takes us out into the world of Gotham.”
“It’s more Batman in his detective mode than we’ve seen in the films,” Reeves told The Hollywood Reporter in January. “The comics have a history of that. He’s supposed to be the world’s greatest detective, and that’s not necessarily been a part of what the movies have been. I’d love this to be one where when we go on that journey of tracking down the criminals and trying to solve a crime.”
Rumors that the film would adapt the popular Batman: Year One story penned by Frank Miller were debunked by Reeves, who said he wouldn’t be telling an origin story for the character.
In an April conversation with The New York Times, Reeves gave a touch more background on the film, describing it as “incredibly personal” and “using the metaphors” of the DC Universe. “You never know whether the people in charge of those I.P.s are going to be open to your vision. But if they weren’t, I wouldn’t have done Batman,” he said. “I was like, look, there have been some great Batman films and I don’t want to just make a Batman film. I want to do something that has some emotional stakes. My ambition is for it to be incredibly personal using the metaphors of that world.”
In August, co-writer Mattson Tomlin went further into the ethos of The Batman with Den of Geek, saying that the film will explore the “soul” of Bruce Wayne. “I think that Matt Reeves as a filmmaker, if you look at any of his work, whether or not it’s Let Me In or Cloverfield or the Planet of the Apes movies, he’s always coming from a point of emotion, it’s never the big action thing,” Tomlin said. “It’s always, what is this character’s soul? I think that really looking at Batman as somebody who has gone through this trauma, and then everything that he’s doing is then a reaction to that, rather than shy away from that, I think this film leans into that in some very fun and surprising ways. I think that’s all I can say without getting yelled at.”
Keeping it dark (but not too dark)
In a July interview with Collider, The Batman cinematographer Greig Fraser offered some clues about how far the film will go in embracing The Dark Knight’s, well … darker side.
“It’s a good question and it’s a question we ask ourselves,” he said of the visual tone for the film. “There’s darkness in the character for sure and we need to create a mood, which is obvious — it’s a Batman film. I don’t think it’s going to be oppressively dark in terms of visually, because that’s not what we’re trying to (do). We’re not trying to have a competition about who can go the darkest of the darkest of the darkest. We’re trying to create intrigue. I love the way some of the comics look. You can see relatively quite clearly in those graphic novels.”
For those who wondered whether the success of Joker could inspire The Batman to go even grimmer and darker than the much-maligned Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, this will likely come as welcome news. Exactly which comics inspired Fraser’s visual approach to the film remain a mystery, however.
A new Joker?
According to an unconfirmed report from The Direct, director Matt Reeves might be planning to introduce a new Joker into his Batman trilogy. The plan, according to the widely circulated rumor, is to tease the new Joker in 2021’s The Batman and introduce him outright in the second and third movies as one of multiple villains.
After Robert Pattinson stoked the flames on a crossover theory with Todd Phillips’ 2019 Joker, fans speculated that the upcoming Batman trilogy may incorporate Joaquin Phoenix as the Clown Prince of Crime. However, the report indicates that Reeves will introduce a new version of the character rather than enlist Phoenix to reprise his role. Still, a link between the films is possible given that both are independent of the DCEU.
Batman’s modern era
The character Batman has been around since 1939, enduring countless adaptations, reimaginings, and visions of the Caped Crusader’s mythos. According to The Batman‘s Commissioner Gordon, Jeffrey Wright, though, this upcoming film will bring that mythos into a new modern era.
“My take is — the way I explain what we’re doing is, like with any film, we’re working together to create a mood, to create an idea, a setting, a tone,” Wright told the Hollywood Reporter. “This is the next evolution since 1939 when these stories began.”
What that means, exactly, isn’t fully clear considering Matt Reeves’ take is expected to feature many classic characters, from Catwoman to The Penguin, and maintain the same origin story. However, as The Batman is something of a reboot for Warner Bros. after its brief stint with Ben Affleck as Batman in DC’s Expanded Universe, Wright could be simply referring to finding a new, independent place in the superhero’s history.
Wright indicated that one way in which this Batman is distinct from others is in his ride. “I read the script for the Batmobile and I was like, ‘Yeah, that’s it,’” he said. “[Bruce Wayne] created the most badass muscle car you could imagine, but it’s grounded in Gotham. It’s grounded in Americana.”
Finding the balance between honoring a classic character, etching out a unique space in that character’s canon, and propelling Warner Bros.’ still-developing superhero universe will be a significant task. If Wright’s interview is any indication, this depiction of a grittier, more grounded Gotham may be the window to the past that will propel DC into the future.
The Penguin, briefly
After a September 2019 report in Variety indicated that Jonah Hill was in talks for a “secret role” in The Batman, the two-time Oscar nominee backed out of the project a month later. No reason was given for Hill’s exit, but the report indicated that he was in talks to play either Riddler or Penguin in the film.
Reeves eventually found his replacement, though, with Colin Farrell (below) eventually confirmed to play Oswald Cobblepot, aka The Penguin. On an episode of YouTube series Stars in the House, actor Rob McClure revealed that Farrell will use prosthetic attachments for a more comic-accurate depiction of The Penguin.
Don’t expect a big role for Farrell to play in the film, though, as the actor himself indicated to GMA News that he doesn’t have “much to do” in the movie.
“I had only started it, and I can’t wait to get back,” said Farrell. “The creation of it, the aesthetic of the character, has been fun, and I really am so excited to get back and explore it. And I haven’t got that much to do. I have a certain amount in the film. I am not all over it by any means. But there are a couple of some tasty scenes I have in it, and my creation and I can’t wait to get back.”
On the Happy Sad Confused podcast, he clarified: “I’m only in it for five or six scenes, so I can’t wait to see the film because it won’t be ruined by my presence. Really, it’s a freebie to me. I’ll get a little bit uncomfortable for the fucking 9 minutes I have, and then the rest of it, I cannot wait to see how he [Reeves] brought this world to life.”
Gear and vehicles
Director Matt Reeves revealed the first look at the new Batmobile in March 2020 via a series of photos posted on Twitter.
🦇🏎 #TheBatman pic.twitter.com/qJFNprk1ut
— Matt Reeves (@mattreevesLA) March 4, 2020
The version of the iconic Batmobile making its debut in The Batman looks to be a more grounded spin on the car than previous films have offered, looking more like a souped-up muscle car than the military transport or futuristic jet car of past films.
In February, a stunt actor was seen donning the new Batsuit during filming in Glasgow, Scotland. Director Matt Reeves has stated that this upcoming take on the Caped Crusader would be more “noir” and, if the suit is any indication, things are getting a little dark around here.
— cunt (@yallarecunts) February 21, 2020
The stunt actor is seen in the new suit — which includes goggles in the mask’s eyeholes — and riding what appears to be the new Batcycle.
Video from the set suggests that this Batcycle will be significantly trimmed down from Christian Bale’s monstrous machine in the Dark Knight trilogy.
A BTS of #RobertPattinson riding his batcycle.#batman #dccomics pic.twitter.com/1fGqP8HfqQ
— 16mmcrewpodcast (@16mmcrewpodcast) February 21, 2020
The photos also showed Pattison’s Batsuit will have gauntlets, replete with darts of some sort to incapacitate his enemies. Likewise, the classic utility belt is present, although it’s difficult to make out the individual gadgets.
First look
Matt Reeves shared the first look at Pattinson as Batman in a brief video (see above) uploaded to Vimeo on February 13.
The footage features Pattinson in costume bathed in infrared light, his face hidden by the Batman’s cowl. The clip is accompanied by a score created by the film’s composer, Michael Giacchino.
The supporting cast
Warner Bros. Pictures released the official cast list for The Batman in January 2020, confirming the characters that will be played by each of the film’s supporting cast members.
As initially reported by The Wrap, Andy Serkis will play Bruce Wayne’s butler and confidant Alfred Pennyworth. Although Serkis is best known for his performance-capture work — including a memorable portrayal of the ape revolutionary Caesar in the most recent Planet of the Apes trilogy — he has delivered some celebrated on-camera performances in recent years, including a memorable supporting role in Marvel Studios’ Black Panther. Reeves directed Serkis in the final two Planet of the Apes films.
Colin Farrell’s Oswald “The Penguin” Cobblepot won’t be the only member of Batman’s notorious rogues’ gallery to appear in the film.
Joining him will be Paul Dano (below), star of Little Miss Sunshine, There Will Be Blood, and Escape at Dannemora. Dano will portray Edward Nashton, the brilliant villain known as The Riddler.
In October 2019, X-Men: First Class and Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald actress Zoë Kravitz was cast as Selina Kyle in The Batman. As fans of The Dark Knight know all too well, Selina is the civilian alter ego of Catwoman, the notorious Gotham burglar who has been an ally, enemy, and romantic partner of Batman over the years.
Robert Pattinson’s Batman will also have a key ally in the film. Westworld actor Jeffrey Wright will play Gotham Police Department’s James Gordon in The Batman. Wright takes over the role from J.K. Simmons, who played Gordon in the Ben Affleck-led Justice League.
Joining the aforementioned cast members will be Peter Sarsgaard (Shattered Glass, The Magnificent Seven) as Gotham District Attorney Gil Colson, John Turturro as mob boss Carmine Falcone, Barry Keoghan as GCPD detective Stanley Markel, and Jayme Lawson as Gotham City mayoral candidate Bella Reál. This will be Sarsgaard’s second turn in a film based on a DC Comics hero after portraying Hector Hammond, the villain of 2011’s Green Lantern. In an interview with The Observer, described his take on Colson as “very intense,” a description that seems in line with everything we’ve heard about this movie.
“My part is very intense,” Sarsgaard said. “On a big show like that my main concern was that I would have to do it 150 times — this intense scene and then that intense scene. My character is at nine out of ten for a lot of it. That was going through my head a lot, like ‘How do I maintain this?’”
What about Deathstroke?
At this point, it’s unknown if Joe Manganiello will appear as the mercenary Deathstroke in the film, having been confirmed as the film’s villain back in 2016 when Ben Affleck was still attached as director and star of the film.
Manganiello’s Deathstroke appeared in a post-credits scene during Justice League in which he was seen meeting with Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg) to discuss forming a “league” of villains.
Reeves indicated in January 2019 that the movie will feature Batman’s rogues’ gallery in one form or another, so there’s a possibility Manganiello could play a surprise role in the film.
Cameras roll
It was a long and tumultuous development and pre-production period, but cameras officially began rolling on The Batman on January 27, 2020. Director Matt Reeves commemorated the occasion by posting a photo of the film’s clapboard on Twitter.
#DayOne #TheBatman cc: @GreigfraserD pic.twitter.com/kOgcsa6zX3
— Matt Reeves (@mattreevesLA) January 27, 2020
The star
After more than a year of uncertainty in the casting department, Deadline reported in May 2019 that Twilight franchise star Pattinson had entered negotiations to play Bruce Wayne and his vigilante alter ego. The deal will reportedly encompass a trilogy of films featuring Pattinson as Batman.
Earlier that month, Variety reported Pattinson was the leading contender for the role, but a subsequent report published by Deadline indicated that the deal with Pattinson wasn’t finalized and that Mad Max: Fury Road actor and X-Men franchise star Nicholas Hoult was also in the mix. Hoult plays blue-furred scientist Hank McCoy in the X-Men films.
Despite portraying Batman in each of the films in which the character has appeared so far in the DC Extended Universe franchise, Ben Affleck won’t play Bruce Wayne (or his alter ego) in The Batman.
The problems
First announced in 2014, the project that would eventually become The Batman initially had Affleck attached to direct, produce, co-write, and star in the film, sharing script duties with longtime DC Comics author and DC Films co-chairman Geoff Johns. All seemed well and good with the project until the first reactions to Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice (in which Affleck made his debut as Batman) began trickling in.
Affleck’s experience with the notoriously ill-received Batman V. Superman (which resulted in the interview that spawned the “Sad Affleck” meme) appeared to sour his relationship with the solo feature, and he announced his exit from the director’s chair in January 2017. Matt Reeves was named the new director of the film a month later.
The troubles weren’t over for The Batman, though, as a report was published a week later indicating that Affleck could be on his way out as Bruce Wayne and the studio was looking for a way to “usher out Affleck’s Batman gracefully.” That report was published on the second day of 2017’s San Diego Comic-Con, prompting Affleck to address it during Warner Bros. Pictures’ movie panel two days later.
“Let me be very clear: I am the luckiest guy in the world,” said Affleck when asked about the report during the show’s Justice League panel (via CNN). “Batman is the coolest part in any universe — DC, Marvel. It’s incredible. … I’m so thrilled to do it.”
“I know there was a misconception that because I didn’t direct it that I wasn’t enthusiastic about it, [but] it’s f—ing amazing,” he continued. “And I still can’t believe I’ve done two films and have this great history with this studio.”
After a long period of uncertainty regarding his attachment to the film, Affleck finally made it official in late January 2019 by confirming a report that the studio was looking to cast a new actor in the film’s lead role.
Excited for #TheBatman in Summer 2021 and to see @MattReevesLA vision come to life. https://t.co/GNgyJroMIO
— Ben Affleck (@BenAffleck) January 31, 2019
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