It seems that The Batman may be based on a classic storyline from the pages of DC Comics. Namely, The Long Halloween. Recently, Warner Bros. had to delay the movie’s release date. This was brought on because of the production delay resulting from the coronavirus pandemic. After the news broke, co-writer Mattson Tomlin took to Twitter to share an intriguing tease. Have a look.
😍 October. Suits the mood. pic.twitter.com/RrobO0i1hc
— mattson tomlin (@mattsontomlin) April 20, 2020
“October. Suits the Mood,” Tomlin said.
There have been persistent rumors that writer/director Matt Reeves is taking inspiration from The Long Halloween. This tweet, given the October reference, seems to indicate that may be the case. Though, for the time being, this is mostly speculation as it hasn’t been confirmed by Reeves or anyone at Warner Bros.
Batman: The Long Halloween was written by comics legend Tim Sale, with art from Gregory Wright. Published between 1996 and 1997, it included a host of villains from Batman’s rogues gallery and has gone on to become regarded as one of the best storylines in the character’s long history.
Here is a synopsis for Batman: The Long Halloween from DC Comics.
“Taking place during Batman’s early days of crime fighting, this collection tells the story of a mysterious killer who murders his prey only on holidays. Working with District Attorney Harvey Dent and Lieutenant James Gordon, Batman races against the calendar as he tries to discover who Holiday is before he claims his next victim each month. A mystery that has the reader continually guessing the identity of the killer, this story also ties into the events that transform Harvey Dent into Batman’s deadly enemy, Two-Face.”
Robert Pattinson leads the cast of The Batman as our new Bruce Wayne. The cast also includes. Zoe Kravitz as Catwoman, Paul Dano as the Riddler, Jeffrey Wright as Commissioner Gordon, John Turturro as Carmine Falcone, Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth and Colin Farrell as the Penguin, with Peter Sarsgaard and newcomer Jayme Lawson rounding out the ensemble.
With several villains confirmed, that has helped lead some to believe this particular storyline will inspire Reeves’ take on the character. The question is, just how loose of an adaptation will it be, if indeed this is going to be the case? Unfortunately, Reeves hasn’t been too forthcoming with details up to this point.
“It took me two years to work on that story, and it’s a very specific mystery noir that’s been really thought-out by me and my partners,” Reeves said in a recent interview with Deadline. The filmmaker also recently said it won’t be an origin story and will focus on Batman’s skills as a detective, with a noir influence.
The Batman is set to hit theater on October 1, 2021.
So what do you think? Do you hope to see an adaptation of The Long Halloween? Or are we reading into that tweet too much? Join in on the conversation over on Facebook or Twitter!
