After a stellar run in theaters, The Batman is considered by many to be the most realistic and grounded take on the superhero, quite the opposite of the 1960s series starring Adam West. So for anyone who’s imagined what a spandex-clad West could look like in Matt Reeves' world, a new Corridor Digital trailer has all the answers.
The Batman series first premiered in 1966, playing a crucial role in establishing the Caped Crusader as the massive pop culture figure he is today, although even then that iteration was a far cry from his persona in the Golden Age of comics. Despite eventually getting canceled after three seasons, the show was immensely popular at its peak, it established familiar tropes for Batman characters that continue to resonate today, and it even introduced the first black Catwoman with as many as three actors playing the role.
Leave it then to the Corridor Digital VFX crew to cast West for the kind of script he never had the chance to work with back in the day. The VFX team created a marvellous trailer that captures all the '60s goofiness but in a very different Gotham. Whether it’s the sight of the bright speech bubbles, West's skinny physique, the fiery Batmobile, or simply every single line of silly dialogue uttered down to the Penguin noises, the Corridor Crew really seems to have outdone themselves this time around, especially since they also brought back vintage Robin and the Riddler.
Perhaps the only thing missing here is Batman's 1960s theme song, because even the show’s logo replaces The Batman's custom Bat-Signal. West even shows off his less-than deadly dance moves, which are put in place of Robert Pattinson's imposing punches. The Corridor Crew also has a longer video up on their YouTube channel, in which they go deeper into the specifics such as using Nuke as their chosen special effects software to make this spectacular mixture of old and new.
The video is appropriately dedicated to the memory of West, who contrary to modern opinion was a very accomplished actor, even if nowadays he’s mostly remembered for his silly Batman antics. Oddly enough, none of the three Catwoman replace Zoe Kravitz in their trailer, though it’s impossible to know if this was down to choice or due to a scarcity of proper footage that could be used in the video from the 1966 movie.
The biggest shocker here is how the severely altered video retains the same dark vibes that Reeves' envisioned for The Batman, as even the car chase scene comes off practically as great as it did in the original trailer. Still, don’t expect the Penguin or Arkham spinoffs to look anything like this last time that live-action Batman was on TV, even if Reeves was among the first to show some love for the trailer.
The Batman is currently available on HBO Max.
Source: Corridor Crew | YouTube