The Batman: Release Date, Cast, Villains, and More Details About the DCEU Movie
The Batman may have a new actor under the cowl, but it's still on track for a 2021 release. Here's everything you need to know.
| | It would be fair to say the DCEU has been through some major changes since The Batman solo movie was originally announced. Back in 2015, before Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad, and well before Wonder Woman, Justice League, Aquaman, and Shazam, Warner Bros. had planned a Batman movie to star and be directed by Ben Affleck.
Back then, Zack Snyder was overseer of the DCEU, but after disappointing reactions to BvS, Suicide Squad, and Justice League, Warner Bros. decided to shake things up, and Affleck found “a graceful and cool way to segue out of it.” The movie is still going ahead, but Ben Affleck is out, both in front of and behind the camera.
Taking his place? The team of director Matt Reeves and star Robert Pattinson – as your new Bruce Wayne. Filming kicked off in late January, but had to be put on pause after the coronavirus pandemic began to take hold and filming became unsafe. Cameras haven’t rolled on The Batman since mid-March, but hopefully they will again soon.
So what can we expect from The Batman? Here’s everything we know so far…
The Batman Batsuit
Matt Reeves finally delivered the goods in February 2020 when he revealed the first shot of Robert Pattinson wearing the new Batsuit. Fans hoping for something completely different won’t get it with the Pattinson suit, which emulates the earlier DCEU Ben Affleck costumes in many ways, but there are a few flourishes and details that make the new suit stand out, such as the new Bat symbol on the chest. You can read more about the new DCEU Batsuit here, and also see the new (and incredibly sweet) Batmobile right here.
The Batman Cast
Reeves has put together quite an ensemble cast to star opposite Pattinson:
Jeffrey Wright will play Commissioner Jim Gordon.
Zoe Kravitz will play Selina Kyle, better known as Catwoman. We have more details on this here. Kravitz is the latest in a long line of talented actresses who have played Catwoman.
Paul Dano is now likely to play the Riddler. Jonah Hill was at one point in talks to play the Riddler (with Seth Rogen a possibility for the Penguin) but those negotiations appear to have stalled. We have more details on the status of The Batman movie villains right here.
Andy Serkis will play Alfred Pennyworth. We have more details about his casting right here.
Colin Farrell will play The Penguin. We have more details on his casting right here.
John Turturro will play Carmine Falcone, a key crime boss in Gotham City. The inclusion of Falcone, a prominent character in Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale’s The Long Halloween, alongside a host of other costumed villains, is sure to raise eyebrows about the possibility that The Batman will be based on that story.
Peter Sarsgaard is also on board. He discussed his formerly-mysterious character only recently:
“Gil Colson, yeah yeah, and I’m a district attorney, and I’m basically a politician that has trouble telling the truth,” Sarsgaard said during an interview on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. “I’m a pretty distasteful person in it.”
Jayme Lawson is a movie newbie. While Lawson is a recent graduate of The Julliard School and has yet to even bank a single onscreen credit, her role in the film is reportedly a notable one according to Collider, making this debut an impressive accomplishment. She’ll play a candidate for Gotham mayor called Bella Reál.
The Batman Story
Back in 2017, working from a script co-written by Affleck, Reeves described his vision as a noirish detective story.
“I think there’s a chance to do an almost noir-driven, detective version of Batman that is point of view driven in a very, very powerful way that is hopefully going to connect you to what’s going inside of his head, and inside of his heart,” he said at the time.
But that was back in the Affleck era. Since Affleck left, the story has shifted focus onto a younger Batman, but talking to THR at the start of the year, Reeves echoed his previous statements, suggesting the tone might not have shifted too much.
“It’s very much a point of view-driven, noir Batman tale,” Reeves said. “It’s told very squarely on his shoulders, and I hope it’s going to be a story that will be thrilling but also emotional.”
The film will tell a story about Batman’s early days, but won’t be an origin story, and may be planned as a new trilogy.
The Batman Release Date
The Batman had been scheduled to open on June 25, 2021 but because of that aforementioned coronavirus-mandated pause, it has been delayed until Oct. 1, 2021. Hopefully there won’ t be any further delays. The full schedule of upcoming DCEU superhero movies can be found here.