A new version of Batman is coming now with Robert Pattinson as Bruce Wayne, and this movie, simply titled The Batman, promises to be different from previous ones about the Dark Knight – and here’s how. DC’s Extended Universe began in 2013 with Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel, and though it did well at the box office, it was received with mixed reviews. Still, the DCEU continued its course with movies like Batman v Superman, Wonder Woman, and Suicide Squad, but after the underperformance of Justice League, Warner Bros. began to make some changes to how it approaches the characters from DC Comics.
This not only meant changes in tone and the characters that lead the movies, but it also meant sending some characters outside of the DCEU to give them their own world and bringing others back as part of DC Films’ multiverse. It’s this multiverse what’s making it possible for Michael Keaton’s Batman and Ben Affleck’s version to return in The Flash, and also what will allow Robert Pattinson’s Bruce Wayne to be his own character. Pattinson’s take on the Caped Crusader will make his debut in The Batman, directed by Matt Reeves, and which holds no connection to the DCEU, instead taking place in a different universe within the aforementioned multiverse of DC characters.
The Batman will follow a younger Bruce Wayne (compared to previous versions) who is still in the early stages of his vigilante and detective journey, and who will come across a variety of villains: Selina Kyle/Catwoman (Zoë Kravitz), Carmine Falcone (John Turturro), Oswald Cobblepot/Penguin (Colin Farrell), and Edward Nashton/Riddler (Paul Dano), who will serve as the movie’s primary antagonist. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, The Batman had to stop filming for a couple of weeks, though that didn’t stop Reeves and company from putting together a teaser trailer revealed during The Batman panel at DC FanDome. The teaser was enough to give the audience a taste of the tone of the movie and it also gave more hints of how The Batman will be different to previous Dark Knight movies.
Batman made his big-screen debut in the 1940s thanks to two serial films titled Batman and Batman and Robin, with Lewis Wilson and Robert Lowery as Bruce Wayne, respectively. However, Batman’s history in film is usually considered to have started in 1966 with Batman: The Movie, an adaptation of the Batman TV series starring Adam West and Burt Ward. The Caped Crusader was later played by Michael Keaton in Tim Burton’s Batman (1989) and Batman Returns (1992), Val Kilmer in Joel Schumacher’s Batman Forever, and George Clooney in Batman and Robin, also directed by Schumacher. Batman then went through a big change thanks to Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy, which gave Bruce Wayne (now played by Christian Bale) and company a more realistic tone, which earned the praise of critics and viewers. The most recent version of the Caped Crusader was Ben Affleck’s, who viewers saw in action in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League.
Each Batman has had his own style, which has not only depended on the actor but also on the year the movie was made, the director, and (of course) the story. Adam West’s version was more comedy oriented as that was the tone of the TV show; Michael Keaton’s was thoughtful and exuded calm energy that helped him when it was time to come face to face with villains like the Joker and the Penguin; Val Kilmer’s Batman was solemn yet vulnerable, which brought a good balance to Schumacher’s colorful Gotham City and over-the-top villains; George Clooney’s is one fans would like to forget, as his campy style didn’t appeal to anyone (including Clooney himself); Christian Bale’s focused on trauma, which in turn helped him make the character more realistic; and Ben Affleck’s version was more mature and vicious, which ended up dividing the fandom.
Robert Pattinson’s Bruce Wayne will be a younger version than the previous ones, being around 30 years old and still in the early stages of his vigilante and detective journey – he’s not a beginner, but he isn’t the experienced hero from the comic books either. Pattinson’s version will also focus more on the character’s detective side than previous versions have, which fits with the overall noir-style Matt Reeves decided to add to the movie. Because of this, it’s highly unlikely this new Batman will have comedic tones like West and Clooney’s versions, for example, though that doesn’t mean he will lack a sense of humor (Bale’s version, for example, had a peculiar sense of humor).
Before the first teaser for The Batman was released, the main concern among fans was that the movie had too many villains, which has previously proven to be a very bad decision that can ruin a movie. Fans worried The Batman would make the same mistake Batman & Robin did by having more than one antagonist, but what can save Matt Reeves’ movie is how it approaches its villains.
First off is Oswald Cobblepot/Penguin, famously played by Danny DeVito in Batman Returns. This version of the Penguin was dark and grotesque, literally coming from the sewers and pushed by a wealthy businessman to run for mayor of Gotham City. Although DeVito’s version is a fan-favorite, the writers forgot that the Penguin is a crime boss, but The Batman will go back to that side of the character. Colin Farrell’s Penguin will be a rising crime lord who actually dislikes being referred to as “Penguin”, so it’s possible that The Batman will be a sort-of origin story for this version of Oswald Cobblepot. Then there’s Selina Kyle/Catwoman, last seen on the big screen in Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises, played by Anne Hathaway, and before that by Michelle Pfeiffer in Batman Returns. Although Pfeiffer’s performance is quite memorable, it was a bit bizarre and too comic book-ish (to an extent), while Hathaway’s was more serious and independent. Just like Cobblepot, Selina Kyle is not her famous villain persona yet, confirmed by the simple suit she’s seen wearing in the teaser. Reeves has also said The Batman will serve as an origin story for her, so viewers will get to witness her journey from the beginning.
Mob boss Carmine Falcone has only appeared once on the big screen, and he didn’t stick around for long. Falcone was played by Tom Wilkinson in Batman Begins, and he was mostly there as a tool for the actual villains of the movie, mostly Cillian Murphy’s Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow. This makes it easier for Matt Reeves and John Turturro to build a different, genuinely dangerous Carmine Falcone, one that won’t get lost among the actions of the rest of the villains. Last but definitely not least is Edward Nashton/Riddler, who fans mostly remember from Batman Forever, played by Jim Carrey. This version was over-the-top, cartoonish, and more of a trickster than an actual threat to be feared, but that will change in The Batman. Dano’s Riddler will be one who will put Batman’s intellectual capacities to the test, which fits with the movie’s noir style and the story exploring Batman’s detective skills. The teaser also showed that this Riddler is definitely one to fear, and has some very extreme methods to get Batman’s attention.
One character from Batman’s universe that most people forget is Gotham City. Gotham carries a lot of history and it’s unlike any other city, so it should stand out. Burton got this perfectly, and though his Gotham City might seem too comic book-ish now, it looks nothing like a city you could find in the real world (the same can be said about Schumacher’s, which was campier and relied a lot on neon colors). Nolan and Snyder, on the other hand, in an effort to give it a realistic style, completely forgot about what makes Gotham City a one-of-a-kind place. When it comes to The Batman’s Gotham, very little is known and only a couple of set photos have surfaced, though they don’t necessarily show the final look of the city (as surely some special effects will be used here and there), but Reeves has shared he wants to present Gotham “in a way that was really fleshed out”, and wants it to “feel like an American city you’d never been to”.
The Batman will stay away from a comic book vibe and neon colors and will instead be pretty much a noir movie with one of the most popular and beloved superheroes on the lead. The Batman won’t be an origin story as Nolan’s Batman Begins was, nor will it show an experienced hero as Burton, Schumacher, and Snyder did, instead being in a middle point. This Bruce Wayne is in his second year of fighting crime, which is why he is not being considered a beginner but he isn’t a fully experienced vigilante either. A central theme in the story will be corruption, with Reeves sharing that the more Batman looks into Gotham’s corruption, the more he’s forced to confront his parents’ part in Gotham’s decay. Although The Batman won’t be an origin story for the title character, it will be for villains Catwoman and Penguin, and that already separates it from previous Dark Knight movies.
The Batman is on its way to being one of the best cinematic adaptations of the Caped Crusader, mixing elements from the comic books with Matt Reeves’ style, enhanced by the freedom of not having to follow a certain path as it’s not part of the DCEU. Hopefully, The Batman’s production and release won’t have to be pushed back again, and the movie can continue its course smoothly.
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