Before the MCU, Batman was the biggest superhero franchise on the big screen, and even as Warner Bros. has had to start and stop a few times since Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy wrapped up, excitement for the caped crusader from Gotham is always high among fans. That is certainly the case for his latest adaptation, The Batman.
A whole new interpretation on the character from Ben Affleck’s Batman that fans got in Batman v Superman and The Justice League, Matt Reeves wrote (along with Peter Craig) and is directing The Batman. There are, however, some rumblings of how Reeve’s version of Batman could interact with Warner Bros.’s attempts to continue to create a DC Universe to rival Marvel.
With that said, here is everything that we know about The Batman.
Who is in ‘The Batman’ cast?
Adam West, Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer, George Clooney, Christian Bale and Ben Affleck have all donned the cowl to take on the role of Batman. The latest actor to portray Bruce Wayne/Batman in the Matt Reeves-directed film will be none other than Robert Pattinson.
Pattison is most widely known for his breakout role in the Twilight franchise. But after being a teen heartthrob, the actor has been making some really interesting choices starring in films The Rover, Maps to the Stars, The Lost City of Z, Good Time, High Life and The Lighthouse. He made his big-budget comeback in Christopher Nolan’s Tenet and is now once again taking on the lead role in a potential franchise with The Batman.
Of course it wouldn’t be a Batman film without Bruce Wayne’s trusted butler/advisor. In The Batman, Andy Serkis will be playing Alfred. This will be a reunion for Serkis and Reeves, who had previously worked together on the recent Planet of the Apes films. To my knowledge, Serkis will not be using mo-cap to play Alfred — but hey, who knows.
Also on Batman’s side will be Jeffrey Wright as James Gordon, the Gotham City commissioner most recently played by J.K. Simmons and Gary Oldman. Peter Sarsgaard is slated to play District Attorney Gil Colson, another potential ally for Batman in the film.
He may need all the help he can get, as there are multiple infamous Batman villains set to appear in The Batman. Among them are The Riddler, played by Paul Dano; The Penguin, played by Colin Farrell; Catwoman, played by Zoë Kravitz; and Carmine Falcone, played by John Tuturro. Just how each of them fits into the mother is a mystery right now. For instance, Farrell has said that his screen time is limited in The Batman, but a Penguin spinoff show is reportedly in development for HBO Max.
What is the plot of ‘The Batman’?
On the note that we don’t know how involved any of the listed villains appearing in The Batman are is because we know next to nothing about the plot. The official page for the movie on the Warner Bros. website offers no information regarding plot, and The Batman IMDb page simply says “the plot is unknown.”
The only information we can glean on the film right now comes from the first trailer that was released a year ago. In it we see The Riddler leaving multiple notes for Batman, making him seem like the early favorite for main villain, but we also get a fight scene between Batman and Catwoman. However, we may be getting more information on The Batman very soon.
When is ‘The Batman’ release date?
Like just about every movie over the last 19 months, The Batman has been forced to move around its release date a few times because of pandemic-related issues; this included having to shut down production when Robert Pattison tested positive for COVID-19.
Originally, The Batman was eyeing an October 2021 release date but has since been shifted to a current planned roll out on March 4, 2022.
In case you were wondering, even though The Batman is a Warner Bros. film and the studio made headlines by giving simultaneous releases of all its 2021 movies in theaters and on its HBO Max streaming service, The Batman will not be getting the same treatment. Warner Bros. has committed to going back to exclusive theatrical windows for its movies starting in 2022.
Who is ‘The Batman’ director Matt Reeves?
Even if you don’t recognize the name Matt Reeves offhand, you definitely know some of the movies that he has made. After getting his start in TV, Reeves made his feature film directorial debut with the found footage monster flick Cloverfield. He then directed the horror remake, Let Me In.
But his biggest movies thus far have been Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and War for the Planet of the Apes, the critically-acclaimed sequels to Andy Serkis’ rebooted Planet of the Apes franchise that were made in the 2010s.
Reeves still has a toe in the TV waters as well, creating a writing the pilot episode for NBC’s newest hit drama, Ordinary Joe.
In addition to directing The Batman, Reeves also wrote the script and is producing the film.
Is there a ‘The Batman’ trailer?
DC Fandome was filled with plenty of new and exclusive content, but one of the most anticipated unveils during the event was the release of the brand new trailer for The Batman. It's been more than a year since the first trailer debuted online, and this new look offers an even better look at the newest movie featuring the caped crusader.
Fans get their best look yet at Paul Dano's The Riddler, a complicated relationship with Zoë Kravitz's Catwoman and a fun chase scene with Colin Farrell's The Penguin. Plus plenty of clips of Robert Pattinson's Batman fighting off some goons. Enjoy the full trailer below.
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How does ‘The Batman’ connect to the larger DC Universe?
Despite their best efforts (or at least, efforts), Warner Bros. has not been able to create the same kind of interconnected universe of films and characters that Marvel has with the MCU. Now that they are officially moving on from the Snyderverse (despite fans’ protests), it appears that the plan is for DC characters to stand on their own, with any potential crossovers coming through another common trick the MCU is now also employing — the multiverse (though that might not be what DC ends up calling it).
We know this because the upcoming The Flash movie will be the first real dip into this new look strategy. Ezra Miller is reprising his role as The Flash from Zack Snyder’s Justice League, and in it he will be teaming up with Batman, multiple Batmen; Ben Affleck and Michael Keaton have both been confirmed as starring in The Flash. As far as we know, Robert Pattinson’s iteration of the character is not confirmed for The Flash, but many speculate that it will at the very least confirm that all the films are in some way connected to DC’s Extended Universe.
