Apparently, Robert Pattinson is having a hard time being Matt Reeves’ Batman
Although 2020 is finally in the history books, there is no doubt that we would continue to feel its effects for quite some time. After two separate lockdown bouts halted movie production in 2020, it seems the industry is beginning to attain a certain sense of normalcy while health restrictions are observed to the fullest. Since late last year, filming has continued DC’s The Batman with Matt Reeves fully at the helm of affairs. Reeves, who is known for his stellar works such as Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Cloverfield, knows this is a bigger theme and doesn’t intend to drop the ball.
What’s The Batman About?
During DC fandome last year, Reeves shared some of his thoughts on the direction his version of Gotham’s vigilante would take. The movie is set to feature a young Bruce Wayne in his second year of crime fighting. According to Reeves, the timeline follows the caped crusader’s Gotham city debut by almost a year and a half. Of course, considering the obvious body-size switch in Batman actor – From Affleck to Pattinson – it makes sense that Reeves is rebooting a younger version of Bruce Wayne.
Furthermore, during the same panel, Reeves admitted he was excited at the opportunity to put his mark on such a huge franchise of which he himself was a huge fan. He also heaped praise on new Batman actor, Robert Pattinson. “He’s been working on his craft in this incredible way” Reeves said, “and he also happens to be a tremendous, passionate fan of Batman, like I am.”
“Pattinson looks like Batman, but more than anything, I think he has the soul of the character” added Reeves.
Bruce Wayne Over Batman
Before Reeves came onboard, former Batman, Ben Affleck, who was also scripting and directing before he quit the franchise had been working on a plot that would have explored more of Batman’s detective abilities. Although Reeves intends to revamp the entire ball game, he seemed to be very particular about exploring a more humane part of Gotham’s billionaire vigilante.
“This version of Batman will not be the idealized version seen elsewhere,” he teased, but is instead broken and “confronting the shadow side of himself.”
Watch: The Batman – DC FanDome Teaser
Pattinson, who is also a huge fan of the batman franchise seems to be a perfect fit for the role – if what we saw in the first released trailer for The Batman is anything to go by.
According to Reeves, delving into superhero-esque genres is an exciting new terrain for him. Reeves is known for his ability to illuminate a particular character’s POV, allowing the audience to sympathise a lot more with the character’s decisions.
The movie will see Bruce Wayne (Pattinson) investigate a series of murder cases in Gotham city in a story arc that would lead him to cross paths with some of our favourite batman villains. Selina Kyle (Zoë Kravitz) and Edward Nashton (Paul Dano) will have a bit of their origin stories explored as they morph into Catwoman and The Riddler, respectively. The Penguin and Drug-Lord Carmine Falcone are also part of the exciting villain list.
A Rift Between Reeves and Pattinson?
Although Pattinson signed a contract that would see him play Batman for the next 3 movies, Reeves penned a deal for just the one movie. However, The Sun previously reported that the director and actor are having a rift on the set due to Reeves’ grilling attitude as a perfectionist. The last thing the studio would want is to lose Pattinson. The report quoted a source saying, “Warner Bros can’t afford for the fanbase to be disappointed and have thrown £90million at the film. No one is denying that this is a high stakes production and that Matt is feeling the pressure to get it right.”
However, we doubt it will be difficult to convince either, to stay on, if The Batman does well. There have even been rumours that Reeves has already scripted a trilogy but is trying not to count his eggs before they hatch.
Directed by Matt Reeves and written along with Mattson Tomlin, The Batman stars Robert Pattinson as Bruce Wayne/Batman, Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth, Jeffrey Wright as James Gordon, Zoë Kravitz as Selina Kyle/Catwoman, Colin Farrel as Oswald Cobblepot/The Penguin, Paul Dano as Edward Nashton/The Riddler, John Turturro as Carmine Falcone and Peter Sarsgaard as District Attorney Gil Colson.
Initially scheduled for October this year, the film’s release date has been pushed further and arrives in theatres March 4, 2022.
