Matt Reeves' highly anticipated The Batman looks to be heading down a much more somber path, as star Robert Pattinson, who is donning the cape and cowl this time as the caped crusader, shared that the upcoming DC film is indeed "a sad movie."
With The Batman less than a month away from hitting theaters, Pattinson has been on a press tour to promote the upcoming DC film. In addition to discussing his experiences on Twilight and other works, Pattinson has shed light on how The Batman will differ in tone and style compared to previous films about the Dark Knight.
Speaking with GQ in their upcoming March cover story, Pattinson opened up the demanding production The Batman had, especially how filming occured right at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. “The nature of the shoot was so kind of insular, always shooting at night, just really dark all the time, and I felt very much alone,” Pattinson recalled. “Even just being in the suit all the time. You’re not really allowed out of the studio with the suit on, so I barely knew what was going on at all outside…I was really, really, really dead afterward. I just looked at a photo of myself from April and I looked green.”
Pattinson then continued on, describing how his more reckless version of Batman may be the one to blame for the heightened tensions and escalating crime rate in Gotham City. “It’s a sad movie," Pattinson claimed. "It’s kind of about him trying to find some element of hope, in himself, and not just the city. Normally, Bruce never questions his own ability; he questions the city’s ability to change. But I mean, it’s kind of such an insane thing to do: ‘The only way I can live is to dress up as a bat.'”
Pattinson's comments come not too long after Reeves shared that this new version of Bruce Wayne/Batman is more of a recluse rather than the flashy billionaire fans are used to seeing in previous adaptations. Reeves also shared that his love for the comic book hero growing up propelled him to start from scratch and really hone in on who Batman is as a character. So in a film that clocks in at a lengthy 175 minutes, and reading how Pattinson was describing his character and the overall story, it appears that Reeves' film has taken Batman in a more personal direction that will allow for many slow burn scenes for the caped crusader to fully develop.
The Batman will focus heavily on a noir-driven, detective version of the character, as the film will take place in Bruce Wayne's second year of fighting crime while he is forced to make new allies in order to track the Riddler, a serial killer with ties to Wayne's tragic past. The film is the first of a planned universe, as two direct sequels and two spin-off series for HBO Max, one focusing on the Penguin and the other on the GCPD, are in early development.
The Batman is set to release in theaters on March 4th, 2022, and will be available to stream on HBO Max on April 19th, 2022.
Source: GQ