The Batman would have originally hit theaters today, had things gone according to plan. When Warner Bros. originally set the wheels in motion for this movie, the release date was set for June 25, 2021. But much has happened since that original plan was put in place. As such, we still have several months to wait until we get to see Robert Pattinson’s take on the DC Comics hero.
2020 brought with it a global pandemic that ravaged Hollywood. Productions were brought to a grinding halt. Movie theaters were closed all around the world. The business was all but shut down for months on end. The Batman had been filming and all of this took a great toll on the production. That is one reason for the delay.
Another reason is that many, many movies were pushed back as theaters remained closed. Initially, Warner Bros. has pushed director Matt Reeves’ take on the character to October of this year. But it was ultimately pushed to March of next year. With any luck, the film won’t shift again.
Reeves’ movie will take place outside of the DCEU. So, in a sense, Pattinson is not replacing Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne. Rather, this is an entirely new take on the hero in a new universe. We got to see the movie’s first trailer at DC Fandome last summer, and the internet took well to the footage. It is dark, gritty and wildly different from the so-called Snyderverse.
“The thing about Robert Pattinson is he’s an incredible actor,” Reeves said during the film’s DC Fandome panel last year. “I feel like the work that he’s done in the last, I don’t know, six years has been incredible. A friend of mine made a movie called Lost City of Z, and Rob appeared in that movie. And I was like, ‘Who is that guy?’ He had just such charisma. Rob in the movie has this incredible beard. And you’re like, ‘Who is that?’ And it’s Rob in The Rover, and Rob in Good Time. He is like a chameleon.”
“He is so, he’s just such a gifted actor,” Reeves added. “And he’s been working on his craft in this really incredible way. He also happens to be a tremendous, passionate sort of fan of Batman, the way that I am. And so it was an incredible thing to be able to connect with him and to share our excitement about the character and to work with him. I mean, you know, he looks like Batman, but more than anything, he has the soul of someone, I think, that can play a Batman.”
Plot details largely remain scarce. However, it will be a detective story taking place during Batman’s second year of fighting crime. Riddler is also the main villain. Though there will be several members of the character’s rogues gallery along for the ride.
The ensemble includes Zoë Kravitz as Selina Kyle/catwoman, Paul Dano as Edward Nashton/Riddler, Jeffrey Wright as James Gordon, John Turturro as Carmine Falcone, Peter Sarsgaard as Gil Colson, Barry Keoghan as Officer Stanley Merkel and Jayme Lawson Bella Real. Rounding out the cast are Andy Serkis as Alfred and Colin Farrell as Oswald Cobblepot/penguin.
The Batman is currently set to hit theaters on March 4, 2022.
What do you think? Are you still excited for the movie? Do you think Pattinson will make a good Batman? Join in on the conversation over on Facebook or Twitter!
