For more than eighty years, Batman has been an iconic figure in popular culture. The Caped Crusader has appeared in countless comic books, movies, tv shows, and cartoons, making him one of the most beloved characters in popular culture. Despite being one of the most recognizable characters in popular culture, Batman has not had a solo movie since “The Dark Knight Rises” starring Christian Bale as the Dark Knight released in 2012.
Nearly a decade after Christian Bale's last performance as Batman, a new solo movie starring the Dark Knight will release next week on March 4th titled, “The Batman.” “The Batman” stars Robert Pattinson as Bruce Wayne/Batman and will take place in Bruce Wayne’s second year of fighting crime in Gotham City.
Matt Reeves is the directing mastermind behind this upcoming iteration of the Dark Knight. From the very start of production, Reeves made it clear that this version of Batman would showcase the detective side of the character. Batman is considered “The World’s Greatest Detective” in DC Comics, but this side of the character has not often been on screen.
In this movie, Batman will be in his second year of fighting crime in Gotham without making much of a difference until the Riddler, played by Paul Dano, starts murdering elite figures of Gotham City. Batman learns to be a better crime fighter, while working with Catwoman and the Gotham City Police to defeat the vicious supervillain.
Despite all the excitement built up for The Batman, the movie that will be released in theatres was not originally supposed to happen. In 2016, Ben Affleck was supposed to star as the Dark Knight and face off against Deathstroke. This version of Batman was much older and more experienced in his fight against the criminal underworld, making his debut in 2016’s “Batman v Superman.” Although “Batman v Superman” was mostly criticized, Ben Affleck was praised for his performance as the Dark Knight.
Ben Affleck would leave the role in early 2019 due to personal reasons and Reeves wanting to focus on a younger version of Batman. A few months later, Robert Pattinson was cast as the Dark Knight and caused a divide amongst Batman fans. Some were skeptical of this casting due to Pattinson's performance in the “Twilight” series, while others praised Pattinson's acting in smaller films like “Good Time” and “Rover.”
After the casting of Pattinson as Bruce Wayne came a star-studded cast besides him. “The Batman” stars Colin Farrell as The Penguin, Zoe Kravitz as Catwoman, Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth, and Jeffrey Wright as Jim Gordon. Unfortunately, just two months into filming, production was halted due to the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.