We’ve been waiting for a new look at The Batman. After quite a few teases by director Matt Reeves throughout the last few days, we finally got a new look. While we expected a new trailer, we got even more as DC FanDome provided a look behind the scenes for the upcoming film while also teasing that Robert Pattinson‘s Bruce Wayne is struggling with his dual identity.
Source: DC FanDome, YouTube
The wait isn’t long until we get a new trailer for The Batman. Matt Reeves’ version of the iconic Caped Crusader will release next year with Robert Pattinson in the role. He’ll be joined by quite the cast which includes Zoë Kravitz as Selina Kyle. We only briefly got a glimpse at the actress in last year’s DC FanDome, but luckily to hype up the next reveal the director shared a brand new image featuring the actress in clear view. He also teases that we’ll get quite a bit more of her in the upcoming trailer.
The upcoming film will reimagine the popular DC franchise in a more noir-themed storyline going by the first trailer. Paul Dano‘s Riddler took center stage in the first trailer and may challenge Pattinson‘s Bruce Wayne throughout the film’s runtime. Kyle’s exact role remains uncertain, but with Batman: The Long Halloween as potential inspiration, her role might connect to this universe’s version of Falcone. We see her with a cat-inspired mask stealing from an unsuspecting victim, which may also end up being the first time she confronts Batman. We can’t wait to see what Reeves and his team have in store for us with tomorrow’s trailer.
Source: Twitter
DC FanDome is just around the corner and will finally give us a brand new look at the upcoming The Batman film. Matt Reeve’s new take on the Caped Crusader has garnered quite a bit of attention when the first trailer dropped last year. Once the pandemic calmed down, Reeve‘s and his team returned to bring the latest incarnation of the character to life. It’s been quiet since, but luckily to tie us until FanDome, LEGO provided us with some new products.
There are four sets revealed. Two of them are focused on chasing down Selina Kyle and the Penguin. We even get a Lego Technic version of the new Batmobile, which is going to be popular with collectors. Yet, the one piece that truly sticks out is the “Batcave: The Riddler Face-off” kit. As the name implies it highlights the Batcave as its main location. What stands out is that it confirms it’s part of a train station with Wayne’s name attached. They may have changed up their origin story and moved it away from Wayne Manor. That’s not all, as it also includes a rather curious detail of Bruce Wayne also going by a different alter-ego, Drifter.
LEGO sets commonly don’t represent the films. Otherwise, we would’ve had a pretty cool fight between Iron Man and Ben Kingsley’s Mandarin. Still, it offers a glimpse into the upcoming film. A detail like Bruce Wayne being called the Drifter does hint that he isn’t always running around in cape and cowl. Perhaps it’s a new identity that he takes when he’s on patrol before grabbing his Batsuit to take on more dangerous foes.
We’re in Year 2 of his career. So, it’s a curious addition. The Riddler also seems to have a unique design in this compared to the first trailer. It’s likely they made it a bit more child-friendly, but this set doesn’t confirm if he’ll actually enter the Batcave at any point in the story. It’s a great little glimpse and we hope to get the second trailer at FanDome.
There’s been much discussion around Robert Pattinson’s upcoming portrayal of Bruce Wayne, but it’s Zoë Kravitz’ take on the iconic Selina Kyle that remains the most shrouded in mystery. Luckily for all of us, the alluring actress disclosed a bit on her next big role during a recent interview with AnOther Magazine. Cradled among conversations about her famous parents and the future of her eclectic career, Kravitz spoke candidly about her approach to playing Catwoman, who the actress claims she’d like to modernize as someone outside of her sexual charm:
I also tried to think about it not as Catwoman, but as a woman, how does this make me feel? How are we approaching this and how are we making sure we’re not fetishising or creating a stereotype? I knew it needed to be a real person.
The role of Catwoman has previously been occupied by Hollywood legends like Michelle Pfeiffer, Eartha Kitt, and Halle Berry. With decades of material to work with and massive shoes to fill, one might think Kravitz was feeling the pressure to conform to specific predetermined fan ideas of the character. However, the actress is in no rush to compromise her vision for the sake of expectation:
If I’m thinking about wanting everyone to like it and wanting all the fans to like it, I’m not going to actually bring a real person to life. Matt wrote a really interesting story with a complex character, and the relationships are really interesting. All I wanted to do was honour that story.
Matt Reeves’ chapter of the Batman mythos, known as The Batman, is set to drop in theaters on March 4, 2022.
Source: AnOther Magazine
It looks like The Batman might continue to expand, as Deadline has unveiled an HBO Max series is in early development to explore the story of one of his iconic villains, the Penguin. Dylan Clark and Matt Reeves are acting as executive producers with their 6th and Idaho Dylan Clark Productions alongside Warner Bros. Television and DC Entertainment. The plan seems to give Oswald Cobblepot a Scarface storyline that explores his rise to the iconic mob boss. Colin Farrell will play him in the upcoming film, but there’s no word he’ll also play it in the series.
It’s the second series that takes place in this universe. It was originally going to explore the corrupted Gotham PD during Batman’s first year. Reports in august hinted at the spin-off getting a new direction and will explore Arkham Asylum in some way. It’s mostly hinted at due to the new working title rumored to be Arkham as it finally enters production.
It’ll be interesting to see if other characters get spin-offs moving forward, as The Batman will build up an extensive universe around the character’s rogue’s gallery. Exploring the life of a Falcone or Maroni family member with the mysterious Bat luring over their heads would make for a compelling drama. They could even introduce more complex stories of villains before they face the bat in a future film. Reeves remains heavily involved with these projects and it’ll be interesting to see how it continues to grow in the future.
Source: Deadline
The Batman hasn’t even hit theaters yet, and it’s already expanding with a spin-off series in the works. The series is set to air exclusively on HBO Max and follow the Gotham City police department during the Caped Crusaders’ first year on the job. Little is known about the project, as it’s still looking to cast its leads to explore the corruption within Gotham City and its supposed protectors, the GCPD. Yet, it seems it may take a unique direction going by its new working title.
The Illuminerdi is reporting that the series has the working title “Arkham.” The famous Asylum from DC is sure to get many fan’s attention, and could hint at a large chunk of the story taking place within the walls of the hospital. It seems entirely possible that the series could take place from the perspective of an officer stationed within the Asylum, turning a blind eye to what is really going on. Arkham is notorious for its corruption and houses the absolute worst of the worst that Gotham City can offer.
The series was previously working under “Gotham Central,” which is a nod to the popular comic by Greg Rucka, but this change could indicate the series will go down a different path. The upcoming spin-off has yet to be officially titled and hasn’t made any movement on casting just yet. Following Terrence Winter’s exit, Joe Barton stepped in to fill the shoes with Showrunner on the series, with Matt Reeves and Dylan Clark serving as producers on the project.
Source: Illuminerdi
The Riddler has been one of Batman’s greatest rogues ever since the character debuted in Detective Comics #140 back in 1948. He was famous for his mind, one that rivaled even the wit of the caped crusader, putting his detective skills to the test in a constant storm of riddles that all lead back to Edward. When word got out that actor Paul Dano would be playing the character, fans were stricken with joy. The actor’s performances in Prisoners and There Will be Blood made him the perfect choice for a cunning as well as obsessed Riddler.
The DC FanDome trailer offered a brief glimpse at the character’s redesign. Luckily, new merchandise from the upcoming film offers a closer look at Dano‘s Riddler, which was previously shrouded in thick shadows. The calendar includes a closeup of the character’s mask. It is a complete reinvention of the Batman rogue. He is famous for his green question-mark-covered clothing, domino mask, and top hat. Modern renditions ditched most of those staples, and he would reduce his wardrobe to a green shirt. This rendition of the character is sporting a full face mask, only revealing his eyes. The image reveals that he is wearing glasses underneath those goggles.
More graphics from the merchandise include a few more Riddler-centric months. They include the phrases “My Life has Been a Riddle” and “Unmask the Truth,” hinting at a new angle for the character. In a scene from the trailer, we hear him tell Bruce that “He’s a part of this,” adding to that theory. It feels like he could act as an anti-hero in a city like Gotham, where crime and corruption know no better home. Could this version of the Riddler be a byproduct of that society, which uses violent methods to expose the dark secrets Gothams held for years to come?
Of course, the merchandise won’t give away every secret the film has in store for us. We cannot wait to see this rendition of the character and what Dano has to offer for the interpretation. It looks like the character has an ulterior motive that may tie directly into Bruce Wayne’s family heritage. We’ve theorized there might be a connection to build up Scott Snyder‘s Court of Owls storyline, which you can read here. Hopefully, in the coming months, we’ll get a new trailer offering a closer glimpse at what the future may hold.
Source: Erik
Warner Bros. surprised everyone when they decided that every major release of 2021 will be available simultaneously in cinemas and on their streaming service, HBO Max. We’ve seen others follow suit, such as Disney releasing their films on their new Disney+ Premier Access, like Black Widow. The pandemic is still an active problem that doesn’t have an end in sight for now. So, it is difficult to really pinpoint where everything is heading.
Luckily, Godzilla vs. Kong managed to defy expectations and nab 48M in the local Box Office. It was a sign that maybe things can go back to normal. Yet, it looks like WarnerMedia is not quite done with its streaming strategy, as CEO Jason Kilar revealed in an interview with Recode Media that they are switching it up next year:
I think it’s very fair to say that a big, you know, let’s say a big DC movie … it’s very fair to say that that would go exclusively to theaters first and then go to somewhere like an HBO Max after it’s in theaters.
As such, The Batman‘s upcoming 2022 release will head to theaters before releasing on the streaming platform unlike this year’s The Suicide Squad. It matches a recent announcement where the Regal theater chain made a deal for a 45-day exclusive showing before it is allowed to be streamed. It was never officially confirmed until now, as pointed out by recode. The decision makes sense and we might see it with many other films. It is common for digital releases to come out before they’re available physically. We might see Disney also echoed this strategy in the near future to promote Disney+ followed by many other publishers with streaming services.
Source: Recode Media via Vox, Deadline
It has been a turbulent year, to say the least. The pandemic has changed the entire media landscape, may it be delaying productions or keeping us out of cinemas. Matt Reeves’s reboot of Batman was hit pretty early on, as it was forced to halt production on multiple occasions. At one point, the main star Robert Pattison was tested positive for COVID, which made many wonders what it could mean for the film’s production. Even after all that, it seems that The Batman has finally wrapped production, as the director took to Twitter to reveal the final day on set.
The visual includes some interesting teases for the film. Especially the “Just For You” cards might be connected to our main villain. We know that they are taking inspiration from the iconic The Long Halloween storyline, which will explore Batman’s hunt for a holiday-themed killer. It was uncertain how they would twist up the original storyline. The Batman’s first trailer proved that they are taking a unique route, as we were introduced to what seems to be the Riddler, who is played by Paul Dano. His speech still haunts me since it was first revealed last August.
The upcoming film will take place in Bruce Wayne’s second year in the role of the Caped Crusader. We got small glimpses at his relationship with the GCPD, who are also getting their own spin-off series on HBO Max, and his place in this version of Gotham. We sadly still have to wait until it releases on March 4th, 2022, but what we saw is already promising quite the experience.
Source: Twitter, Slash Film, YouTube
The Batman hasn’t even hit screens yet but this isn’t stopping WB from going all-in on Matt Reeves’ new take on Gotham City and its resident caped crusader. It was announced a while back that Matt Reeves had begun development on a prequel to his upcoming film centered around the GCPD and the corruption within, with the series taking place during Batman’s first year of activity. Initially, many fans jumped to assume this series would be an adaption of Gotham Central, a storyline written by Greg Rucka and Ed Brubaker that focused on the cops of the GCPD and how they adjusted to life with Batman’s rise to prominence in the city and his war on crime.
The first casting details, although vague, could hint at some familiar faces around the GCPD. The casting details don’t give names but do state they’re looking for one male and one female to serve as leads for this series. The casting details remain vague but I think that the male lead could indeed be a familiar face from the Batman mythos. The production is aiming for a caucasian male in the ’30-’40s range for a “Police Detective, Works for Commissioner James Gordon.” Now that could really be anyone as the GCPD is obviously full of cops, but my first thoughts lead me to believe it could be Harvey Bullock.
At Fandome, Reeves stated that the show would follow the perspective of a corrupt cop in Gotham City. With the age range and close ties to Gordon, Bullock seems like the perfect fit for this role. I’m not so sure about the other casting. The production is looking for a black female in the ’35-’45 age range for a “former detective who was injured on the job and becomes the new Gotham district attorney. This could be an original character for the series as there really isn’t any character that fits this description. It’s also interesting to note that in the upcoming film, Peter Sarsgaard is set to play Gil Colson, the sitting district attorney at the time.
The upcoming spin-off to The Batman currently has no set release date but will release exclusively on HBO Max. The series will be executively produced by Reeves’ 6th and Idaho production company with Joe Barton serving as showrunner on the series.
Source: Illuminderi
