As DC FanDome has unfolded, Warner Bros. and DC Films have shown their full breadth of upcoming print, television, and film projects. But with all respect to the rest of the lineup, nothing has been more exciting than Matt Reeves‘ “The Batman,” including its exciting superhero turn from Robert Pattinson (“Tenet,” “The Lighthouse”) as Gotham City’s vigilante detective and billionaire.
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Today at the virtual DC FanDome, Reeves unveiled the first brief ‘Batman’ teaser trailer for the film that revealed some of the key characters in the film. This includes Zoë Kravitz (“Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald,” “Mad Max: Fury Road”) as Selina Kyle aka The Catwoman and Paul Dano (“Love & Mercy,” “12 Years a Slave”) as Edward Nashton aka The Riddler; and Colin Farrell (“In Bruges,” “The Killing Of A Sacred Deer”) as Oswald Cobblepot aka The Penguin (though you will have to look closely to spot both of the latter two).
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For a first look, there’s a lot to like about “The Batman.” From the demented costuming of Dano’s Riddler to the palatable exhaustion of Jeffrey Wright‘s James Gordon, Reeves has created a version of Gotham City that feels simultaneously familiar and fresh. Kravitz also wastes no time in proving herself to be an iconic character, with “The Batman” adding a nice DIY touch to her costume. Pattinson may be the first Batman since Michael Keaton to be more interesting during his day job than during his extracurricular activities. One might say that there’s “something in the way” this version of Batman looks that has the bar set extremely high.
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And while most of the day was marked by people sharing as little as possible, Reeves’s presentation was remarkable in its enthusiasm and candor for the property. Without going into specifics about the film itself, Reeves talked about everything “The Batman”-related, from the inspiration for his Gotham City (Liverpool) to the movies that inspired him to cast Pattinson in the lead role (“The Rover,” “Good Time,” and “Lost City of Z” in particular). Reeves also cited famous comic book author Darwyn Cooke’s “Ego” as an inspiration for the movie, suggesting at a film that, while exploring the darkness of the Batman mythos, might have a sense of wonder at its core.
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Reeves’ “The Batman” is officially disconnected from the rest of the DC Extended Universe and will not team up with Gal Gadot’s “Wonder Woman” or Jason Moma’s “Aquaman” (Warner Bros.’ Walter Hamada confirmed it again today). Like Todd Philips’ “Joker,” which it will also not connect to, Reeves’ film will live in its own timeline as a separate entity. But unlike “Joker,” Reeves film is expected to spawn its own trilogy (which in some way makes it hard for DC to reboot Batman in the current DCEU now that Ben Affleck has moved on)
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In addition to the main cast, the new film will include John Turturro (“Barton Fink,” “The Big Lebowski”) as Carmine Falcone; Peter Sarsgaard (“Shattered Glass,” “Boys Don’t Cry”) as Gotham D.A. Gil Colson; Jayme Lawson (“Farewell Amor”) as mayoral candidate Bella Reál; and Andy Serkis (the “Planet of the Apes” films, “Black Panther”) as Alfred, Bruce Wayne’s butler and trusted ally.
Warner Bros. has currently slotted “The Batman” for October 1, 2021, after the summer 2021 release was pushed due to COVID-19. Watch the excellent new first teaser below and get prepared to wait over a full year for the full film.
