The Batman is an upcoming American superhero film based on the DC Comics character Batman. Produced by DC Films, 6th & Idaho, and Dylan Clark Productions, and set for distribution by Warner Bros. Pictures, it is a reboot of the Batman film franchise. The film is directed by Matt Reeves, who wrote the screenplay with Peter Craig, and stars Robert Pattinson as Bruce Wayne / Batman, alongside Zoë Kravitz, Paul Dano, Jeffrey Wright, John Turturro, Peter Sarsgaard, Andy Serkis, and Colin Farrell. Set in his second year of fighting crime, the film sees Batman uncover corruption in Gotham City while facing a serial killer known as the Riddler. Ben Affleck, who portrayed Batman in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU), was set to direct, produce, co-write, and star in The Batman in 2014, but in 2017 he chose not to direct due to dissatisfaction with his own script. Reeves was hired to take over and reworked Affleck’s story to focus on a younger Batman. He sought to explore Batman as a detective more than previous Batman films, inspired by the comic books “Year One” (1987), The Long Halloween (1996–1997), and Ego (2000). Affleck left The Batman entirely in January 2019 and connections to the DCEU were removed. Pattinson was cast in May 2019, with further casting later that year. Principal photography took place in the United Kingdom and Chicago, lasting from January 2020 to March 2021. The Batman was scheduled for release in June 2021, but production was delayed between March and September 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is scheduled for release in the United States on March 4, 2022. Two sequels are planned and two spin-off television series are in development for HBO Max.
-Robert Pattinson as Bruce Wayne / Batman: A billionaire socialite who protects Gotham City as a masked vigilante. Batman is around 30 years old and is not yet an experienced crime fighter, as director Matt Reeves wanted to explore the character before he becomes “fully formed”. Reeves and Pattinson described Batman as an insomniac who cannot delineate between the Batman persona and his “recluse rockstar” public identity as Wayne. Pattinson said the film would question the nature of heroism,as Batman is more flawed than traditional superheroes and unable to control himself, seeking to work out his rage and “inflect his kind of justice”.
-Zoë Kravitz as Selina Kyle / Catwoman: A nightclub worker and cat burglar who comes into contact with Batman while searching for her missing friend.Kravitz described Catwoman as a mysterious character with unclear motivations,who represents femininity in contrast to Batman’s masculinity. She said the pair are drawn together by their desire to fight for vulnerable people,and become “partner[s] in crime”. Kravitz focused more on Kyle than her Catwoman persona because she did not want to distract from the character’s emotional journey,[9] and drew inspiration from Michelle Pfeiffer’s portrayal of the character in Batman Returns (1992) as well as the Batman story arc “Year One” (1987).
-Paul Dano as Edward Nashton / Riddler: An emerging serial killer who taunts Batman and law enforcement with riddles. Reeves based The Batman’s Riddler on the Zodiac Killer, who he felt was the “real-life” Riddler for his practice of communicating with ciphers and riddles.
-Jeffrey Wright as James Gordon: An ally of Batman in the Gotham City Police Department. Wright is the first actor of color to portray Gordon, and felt his casting reflected how much more diverse America has become since Batman’s introduction in 1939.He described Gordon as “relative to Gotham City, to the Gotham City Police Department, to Batman, to justice and to corruption—and none of those things require that he be white.” In preparation, Wright read the Batman: The Long Halloween (1996–1997) comic book series.
-John Turturro as Carmine Falcone: A Gotham City crime lord.
-Peter Sarsgaard as Gil Colson: Gotham’s district attorney.
-Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth: Batman’s butler and mentor.
–Colin Farrell as Oswald “Oz” Cobblepot / Penguin: A disfigured, rising crime lord. Cobblepot is not yet the crime kingpin he is depicted as in the comics, and dislikes being referred to as the Penguin. For the role, Farrell chose to wear prosthetics and a fat suit created by makeup artist Mike Marino,after having a negative experience gaining weight for the television series The North Water. Farrell was frequently described as “unrecognizable” in costume,to the point that Wright and Rupert Penry-Jones initially did not recognize him on set.
The Batman is scheduled to be released by Warner Bros. Pictures in the United States on March 4, 2022. It was originally set for release on June 25, 2021, before it was pushed back to October 1, 2021, and then to the March 2022 date, both times after Warner Bros. adjusted its release schedule due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hits: 79
