The Batman

> Unmask the truth
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> Tagline

***The Batman*** is a 2022 action superhero film based on the DC Comics character of the same name, directed by Matt Reeves and written by Reeves and Peter Craig. It stars Robert Pattinson as Batman, Zoë Kravitz as Catwoman, Paul Dano as the Riddler, Jeffrey Wright as James Gordon, John Turturro as Carmine Falcone, Peter Sarsgaard as Gil Colson, Jayme Lawson as Bella Reál, Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth, and Colin Farrell as the Penguin. A reboot to the *Batman* film series, the film follows a young Bruce Wayne in his second year of fighting crime as the Batman as he uncovers corruption within Gotham City while working to take down a serial killer known as the Riddler.

*The Batman* was produced by Matt Reeves and Dylan Clark, a joint production between DC Films and 6th & Idaho. It was distributed theatrically by Warner Bros. beginning on March 4, 2022. It is not set in the continuity of the DC Extended Universe, though it does exist within the DC Films multiverse, specifically within a universe designated "Earth-2."

Originally, Ben Affleck was set to direct, produce, co-write, and star in a *Batman* film set in the DC Extended Universe, reprising his role as Batman from *Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice*. Affleck stepped down as writer and director in January of 2017, with Matt Reeves hired in his place. Reeves retooled the story to focus on a younger Batman and emphasize the detective aspect of the character. Affleck finally left the project entirely in January 2019, and Robert Pattinson replaced him in the title role. The film's connections to the DCEU were removed, with the film now set on Earth-2 within the DC Films multiverse. The rest of the cast was signed on by the end of 2019, with principal photography beginning in London in January 2020. Production was interrupted in March in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, but resumed in September. Filming concluded in March 2021, with exterior shots being filmed in Chicago.

The film was originally planned for a June 2021 theatrical release, but it was delayed twice to March of 2022. *The Batman* is planned to be the first entry in a trilogy of films, while a prequel television series is scheduled to stream on HBO Max.

## Plot

On Halloween night in Gotham City, mayor Don Mitchell Jr. watches a news report about his recent debate against opposing candidate Bella Reál ahead of the mayoral election. As he frantically talks on the phone with his associates regarding the status of his campaign, he is suddenly attacked and murdered by a masked killer. That same night, Bruce Wayne continues his ongoing war on crime in Gotham as the masked vigilante Batman. As the Bat-Signal shines into the night sky, criminals are frightened at the thought that Batman could be lurking around any corner. A group of gang members follows a civilian off of a train, then corners and attacks him. As they beat the man, they witness Batman slowly emerge from the shadows. One criminal taunts and then attacks Batman, only to be swiftly beaten unconscious. The others all attack Batman in response, but he makes short work of them. The last gang member who did not attack Batman runs away, leaving the terrified victim begging Batman not to hurt him. Seeing the Bat-Signal, Batman heads off to meet with his ally in the GCPD, Lieutenant James Gordon. They enter the crime scene in Mitchell's home and observe his body, his face covered in duct tape with the words "No more lies" scrawled over it. They also find that his thumb has been severed. A note has been left behind for Batman containing a riddle and a cipher. Commissioner Pete Savage enters the crime scene and berates Gordon for allowing Batman in and forces him to leave.

Bruce returns to the Batcave in an abandoned train terminal under Wayne Tower where he examines footage of the crime scene captured by the contact lenses he was wearing. His butler Alfred Pennyworth arrives and discusses the recent murder with Bruce. Alfred works on translating the cipher, which reads "DRIVE." Batman brings Gordon to Mitchell's car, telling him to look for a USB drive. They find a drive with Mitchell's missing thumb attached to it, a twisted pun on the term "thumb drive." Gordon plugs the drive into his computer but finds it encrypted. Batman reveals a thumbprint reader on the drive and tells Gordon to scan the severed thumb. This reveals the drive's contents, pictures of Mitchell outside of the Iceberg Lounge with a woman, which are automatically emailed to all major press outlets in the city. Gordon cannot tell who the woman is in the picture, but recognizes the Penguin standing nearby in it. Batman heads to the Iceberg Lounge and tells the bouncers he is here to see the Penguin, but they refuse to let him in. Batman responds by attacking the bouncers and forcing his way into the club, where he is attacked by the Penguin's henchmen. He makes short work of the thugs before confronting the Penguin himself, who urges Batman to calm down. He introduces himself as "Oz" and extends his hand, but Batman does not return the gesture. The two go to the Penguin's office, where Batman presents the photographs and asks him who the woman is. The Penguin claims to have no idea, even after Batman threatens him, but Batman notices that Selina Kyle, a waitress who enters the office, seems to recognize the woman in the picture. Batman tails Selina when she leaves and returns to her apartment, then observes her from a distance. He learns that the woman from the picture is Selina's roommate and girlfriend, and that she is distraught over a news report revealing the photograph of her with Mitchell. Selina dons a catsuit and leaves, with Batman still in pursuit. Selina breaks into Mitchell's house and tries to crack open a safe before Batman confronts her. The two fight briefly, but Batman restrains her just before a police officer enters the room to investigate the noise. After the officer leaves, Batman accuses Selina of being a thief, but she insists that she was only there to retrieve her girlfriend Annika's passport.

Batman and Selina return to her apartment, but find it ravaged and Annika missing. A news report shows that Pete Savage was murdered by the same serial killer who murdered Mitchell, who has left behind a video addressing the people of Gotham and introducing himself as the Riddler. Batman convinces Selina to help him investigate the Iceberg Lounge, sending her back inside with special video-recording contact lenses. Selina enters the club's basement, where she sees numerous off-duty police officers and politicians, including district attorney Gil Colson. Batman tells Selina to converse with Colson and pump him for information. They learn that he, Mitchell, Savage, and many other city officials are on the payroll of mob boss Carmine Falcone, and are terrified by the fact that the killer seems to know this. A woman with Colson storms off, but Selina pursues her after she mentions Annika. Selina argues with the woman before Falcone himself arrives and interrupts them. Selina tells Falcone she was just about to head upstairs and leaves. Batman presses her about her relationship to Falcone, which angers Selina and leads her to cut off communication. As Selina leaves, Colson follows her and tries to convince her to come with him, but she refuses. Colson returns to his car, but is attacked by the masked killer. Batman meets with Gordon about the killer's latest victim. The two analyze the clues left by the Riddler, which instruct Batman to "bring the rat into the light."

As Bruce analyzes evidence recorded by Selina in the Batcave, Alfred arrives and notices that Bruce is preparing to attend Mitchell's public funeral. He commends Bruce for finally acknowledging his public persona, but Bruce explains he is only attending because he expects the Riddler to be there since many serial killers like to follow reactions to their crimes. Alfred forces Bruce to wear his cufflinks, which were given to him by Bruce's father, because he needs to carry on his family's legacy. When he arrives at the funeral, Bruce sees Falcone with the Penguin and approaches him. The Penguin tries to hold Bruce back, but Falcone recognizes Bruce and speaks to him. He recalls how Bruce's father had performed emergency surgery on him after he was shot, and asks Bruce why he thinks he did that for him. Bruce insists that his father was only following the Hippocratic Oath, but Falcone chuckles at this response. At the funeral, Bruce is approached by Bella Reál, who accuses him of avoiding her calls. She points out that his family has a history of philanthropy, while he hasn't done anything himself. Once Reál leaves to give her condolences to Mitchell's family, Bruce notices someone observing the scene from a balcony. Just then, a car bursts into the building and crashes. Police surround the vehicle and order the driver to step out. The driver exits and is revealed to be Colson, with a collar bomb strapped to his neck and a ringing cellphone taped to his hand. That night, Batman enters the building to try and free Colson. He answers the phone, bringing up a video feed from the Riddler. He says that he has been trying to reach Batman, and that if Colson can answer three riddles in time, he will provide the code to unlock the bomb. Colson answers the first two riddles as the timer counts down, but refuses to answer the third - the identity of the informant who facilitated the Maroni bust. Batman tells Colson that he will die if he doesn't answer, but Colson insists that if he answers, he will be dead anyway along with his family. The timer expires and the bomb goes off, blowing Batman away and knocking him unconscious. He is brought to police headquarters, where he wakes up surrounded by officers. He begins to fight with them, but Gordon tries to hold him back. Chief Mackenzie Bock intends to arrest Batman for interfering in a hostage situation, but Gordon tells him and the others he can get Batman to cooperate if they leave the room. Bock gives him two minutes to do so. Gordon tells Batman to punch him in the face and go after the Penguin. Batman does so and escapes by gliding off of the roof of the building. He later meets with Gordon, who says that he knows the recent drug bust of mobster Salvatore Maroni's operation was made possible by an informant, who must be the "rat" the Riddler is talking about. The two deduce that the Penguin may be this informant.

Batman tracks the Penguin to a drug deal at a warehouse, where he and Gordon learn that Maroni's operation was never shut down at all. Selina arrives at the deal and tries to steal money from one of the vehicles parked at the scene. Batman confronts her, but they discover Annika's corpse in the trunk. The Penguin and his men see them and open fire, causing Gordon to return fire. As the gunfight rages, Batman is knocked down and Selina escapes on a motorcycle with a bag of cash. Batman activates the Batmobile, causing the Penguin to flee in a car. Batman gives chase in the Batmobile, pursuing the Penguin onto a highway into oncoming traffic. The Penguin triggers a crash between multiple semi trucks which explode, with the Batmobile seemingly caught in the explosion. As the Penguin taunts Batman triumphantly, the Batmobile launches over the flames and slams into the Penguin's car, causing it to roll over repeatedly and crash. Batman exits the Batmobile and apprehends the Penguin, then interrogates him with Gordon. The Penguin mocks them for insinuating that he is the informant, inadvertently giving them a clue to one of the Riddler's messages. Batman inputs a URL into a laptop which opens a chatroom with the Riddler himself. The Riddler provides another riddle before signing off, which Batman interprets as pointing them to the abandoned orphanage once run by the Wayne family. They find a trail left by the Riddler which leads them to a room where a projector is playing a recording of a speech from Thomas Wayne's mayoral campaign where he announced his contribution of a large renewal fund for the city. Batman interprets all of the clues and realizes that Bruce Wayne is the Riddler's next target. He races back to Wayne Tower in the Batmobile, frantically trying to call Alfred. Alfred opens a letter addressed to Bruce, but realizes it is a bomb when he finds a note for Batman enclosed in a fireproof envelope. Alfred throws the bomb seconds before it goes off, seriously injuring him.

Selina contacts Batman and meets with him. She tells him that she intends to get revenge on the Penguin's enforcer and crooked cop William Kenzie, whose trunk it was where she found Annika's corpse. Batman asks her if she knows who the informant is, but she says she doesn't. He again presses her about her relationship to Falcone, and she finally admits that he is her father. She explains that her mother Maria worked at the Iceberg Lounge and brought her there as a child. She always noticed the way Falcone looked at her until she learned that he was her father. When her mother was murdered, Falcone neglected her and allowed her to become an orphan. She says that she stole the money because Falcone owed it to her. Selina asks Batman for help standing up to Falcone and insinuates that the Riddler's victims all deserved their fates, including Bruce Wayne. Batman asks what she is talking about, and she responds that the Riddler's latest video was about the Wayne family. Bruce watches the video in the Batcave, in which the Riddler alleges that Thomas Wayne had Carmine Falcone murder a journalist in order to suppress embarrassing details about his wife Martha's history of mental illness. Bruce heads to the Iceberg Lounge and asks to see Falcone. He asks Falcone the truth about his father, and he responds that Thomas had asked him to silence the journalist because he did not want unflattering details about his wife to come out during his mayoral campaign. When intimidation did not work, Falcone says, he was told to murder the man. Falcone insists that the journalist was not upstanding by any means and had ties to Maroni, and suggests that Maroni had Bruce's parents murdered in retaliation. Bruce heads to the hospital to confront Alfred, revealing what Falcone had told him. Alfred admits that Thomas had tried to suppress details about Martha, but to protect her and Bruce and not his mayoral campaign. However, Thomas had no idea that Falcone would have the journalist killed, and was horrified when he learned this. Falcone had intended to use this as leverage against Thomas, but instead Thomas decided to go to the authorities with the information. Alfred expresses his suspicion that Falcone had Thomas and Martha murdered for this reason. Now knowing the truth, Bruce makes up with Alfred.

Batman responds to the Bat-Signal, but when he meets Gordon each of them thinks the other had activated the signal. They find Selina waiting for Batman with Kenzie. She plays a message left to her from Annika the night she died, which reveals that Falcone strangled her to death because she learned from Mitchell that Falcone was the informant. Selina vows to kill her father in retaliation and flees after pushing Kenzie off of the building, though Batman and Gordon manage to save him. Selina arrives at the Iceberg Lounge and asks to see Falcone. She feigns ignorance about Annika's murder and pretends that she is still desperately looking for her, then prepares to pull out a gun and shoot Falcone. However, one of Falcone's men calls him over to show him a news report exposing him as the informant. Selina prepares to shoot Falcone, but Batman sneaks into the club and kills the power. Batman fights his way to Falcone, and finds him trying to strangle Selina to death. He punches Falcone and saves Selina, then convinces her to stand down rather than kill him. Batman brings Falcone outside of the club, where the police are waiting to arrest him. The Penguin exits the club and tells Falcone that the other inmates in Blackgate will kill him for his treachery. Falcone insults the Penguin, who draws a gun but is knocked down by police before he can fire. However, Batman finds that Falcone has already been fatally shot. He looks up at a streetlight and realizes that he did what the Riddler wanted by literally bringing Falcone "into the light." Batman and the police storm the apartment overlooking the murder scene where the Riddler fired the shot from, but find that he is gone. However, they are soon informed that someone was sighted leaving the apartment. The police track the man to a nearby diner and promptly arrest him.

Batman and the police search the apartment and learn the Riddler's true identity, a forensics accountant named Edward Nashton. Batman is informed that Nashton has been asking to see him. Batman heads to Arkham State Hospital and confronts Nashton, who boasts that he succeeded in unmasking the truth about Gotham and thanks Batman for his help in doing so. He expresses regret that he only failed to kill Bruce Wayne. He explains that he has developed a burning hatred for Bruce because he received widespread sympathy after his parents' death despite being a billionaire, whereas Nashton spent his childhood in a run-down orphanage and was ignored by everyone. He says that Batman inspired him to expose injustice and proposes that they form a partnership, but Batman says that Nashton is insane and angrily rejects his offer. Nashton is angered by Batman's rejection, saying that they were supposed to watch "the whole thing" together. Batman asks him what he is talking about, which leads Nashton to realize that Batman never figured out his true plan. Batman angrily demands to know what Nashton has done, but Nashton simply taunts him by singing "Ave Maria."

Batman returns to Nashton's apartment and uncovers a map of Gotham along with a final video left by the Riddler to his followers. From this video, Batman learns the Riddler's true endgame: he has planted car bombs along Gotham's breakwaters which will flood the city, forcing anyone who isn't drowned by the flood to take refuge in the Gotham Square Garden where Bella Reál is giving her acceptance speech after winning the election. There, the Riddler's armed followers will be waiting to assassinate her and kill as many civilians as possible. The bombs go off and water pours into the city streets, causing major damage and forcing citizens into the arena. Gordon and the police try to convince Reál to escape to safety, but she refuses and addresses the crowd. As she does, one of the Riddler's gunmen shoots her non-fatally with a sniper rifle, causing Gordon to drag her to safety as the rest of the gunmen begin to open fire on the crowd. Batman drops through the roof and engages the gunmen. While he manages to defeat most of them, one shoots him at point-blank range with a shotgun, knocking him from the rafters and forcing him to hold onto a ledge. The gunman points his gun at Batman's face, but before he can open fire he is subdued by Selina. Selina rescues Batman, who is badly injured and begins to lose consciousness. The gunman gets back up and attacks Selina, forcing the wounded Batman to inject himself with a stimulant that gives him the strength to get back up and attack the gunman. As he mercilessly punches the defeated gunman in the face, Gordon arrives and gets him to stand down. The flood waters break through the doors to the arena and begin to flood it, trapping many civilians under debris. Batman drops down into the water and helps free the civilians and leads them to safety.

Batman aids recovery efforts in the flooded city, remarking that some areas of the city are isolated by the flood and are most vulnerable to crime. Meanwhile, the Penguin observes the city, his influence on the criminal underworld having expanded following Falcone's death. In the aftermath of the failed attack, Nashton angrily sulks in his cell at Arkham. Another inmate in a nearby cell expresses sympathy for Nashton, saying that it isn't right for Batman to ruin his big plan. He offers his friendship to Nashton, who gleefully accepts, causing both men to begin laughing hysterically. Batman meets with Selina and tries to convince her to stay and help him, but she says Gotham is beyond saving and has decided to leave. She drives off on a motorcycle, with Batman following on the Batcycle and riding alongside her. Once they reach the outskirts of the city, they go their separate ways.

## Cast

* **Robert Pattinson** as **Bruce Wayne / Batman**, the billionaire heir to Wayne Enterprises. When his parents were murdered in front of him as a child, Bruce became fixated on fighting back against the criminal element that plagues Gotham. By the time the film takes place, Bruce is about 30 years old and in only his second year of fighting crime.
* **Zoë Kravitz** as **Selina Kyle / Catwoman**, a waitress at the Iceberg Lounge nightclub who moonlights as a costumed cat burglar. She is the illegitimate daughter of crime boss Carmine Falcone, and is planning to steal a large sum of drug money from him as retribution for his abandoning her as a child following her mother's death. She crosses paths with Batman after her roommate and girlfriend Annika goes missing, and works with him in an attempt to find her, gradually developing a romantic relationship with Batman.
* **Paul Dano** as **Edward Nashton / Riddler**, a mysterious serial killer who uses riddles to taunt law enforcement and Batman as they investigate his murders. Having grown up as an orphan in Gotham City, Nashton seeks to expose the corruption among the city's elite who pocketed a renewal fund meant to help the less fortunate, resulting in his difficult childhood.
* **Jeffrey Wright** as **James Gordon**, a Lieutenant in the Gotham City Police Department who is an ally to Batman and assists him in investigating the Riddler's murders and uncovering the corruption of his colleagues. Gordon and Batman do not trust the other officers in the GCPD and are forced to trust only each other.
* **John Turturro** as **Carmine Falcone**, a powerful crime boss in Gotham City. After arranging the arrest of Salvatore Maroni, Falcone has consolidated control of Gotham's drug trade and become the city's most influential crime boss. He is also Selina Kyle's father.
* **Peter Sarsgaard** as **Gil Colson**, the corrupt district attorney of Gotham.
* **Jayme Lawson** as **Bella Reál**, a Gotham mayoral candidate.
* **Andy Serkis** as **Alfred Pennyworth**, Bruce Wayne's longtime butler and mentor. Following the death of Bruce's parents, Alfred tried to raise him in their place. Alfred worries that Bruce has neglected his personal life entirely and lost his mind in his crusade in Batman, resulting in a hostile relationship between the two.
* **Colin Farrell** as **Oswald "Oz" Cobblepot / Penguin**, a rising disfigured crime boss. Cobblepot is not yet the established criminal kingpin he is in the comics, still being Falcone's top lieutenant, and dislikes being called "Penguin." He runs the Iceberg Lounge, which serves as both a nightclub and front for Falcone's drug operation.
* **Alex Ferns** as **Pete Savage**, Gotham's Police Commissioner.
* **Gil Perez-Abraham** as **Martinez**, a GCPD officer.
* **Peter McDondald** as **Kenzie**, a corrupt GCPD officer who serves as an enforcer for Falcone and the Penguin when not on duty.
* **Charlie Carver** and **Max Carver** as **The Twins**, two bouncers who work at the Iceberg Lounge.
* **Rupert Penry-Jones** as **Don Mitchell Jr.**, the mayor of Gotham who is currently running for reelection.
* **Con O'Neill** as **Mackenzie Bock**, the GCPD chief.
* **Barry Keoghan** as **The Joker**, an inmate at Arkham State Hospital who befriends the Riddler. Keoghan is only credited as "Unseen Arkham Prisoner," and was intentionally misreported to be playing the minor character Stanley Merkel.
* **Hana Hrzic** as **Annika**, a waitress at the Iceberg Lounge who is Selina Kyle's roommate and girlfriend.
* **Jay Lycurgo** as a young gang member
* **Luke Roberts** as **Thomas Wayne**, Bruce's late father and a wealthy doctor who was murdered during his mayoral campaign.
* **Stella Stocker** as **Martha Wayne**, Bruce's late mother who comes from the Arkham family which founded Arkham State Hospital.

## Production

### Development

In August 2013, Ben Affleck was cast as Batman in Warner Bros.'s DC Extended Universe. He made his debut as the character in *Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice*, and also appeared in *Suicide Squad* and *Justice League*. In October of 2014, before *Batman v Superman* had even been released, Warner Bros. announced that Affleck would be appearing in a solo *Batman* film. In July 2015, it was revealed that Affleck was in negotiations to direct the film and co-write it along with Geoff Johns. The first draft of the film's screenplay was completed in March 2016, with Johns suggesting it would explore the death of Robin, which was suggested in *Batman v Superman*. Jeremy Irons was announced to be returning as Alfred Pennyworth in the film, while Affleck revealed that actor Joe Manganiello would be playing the film's villain, Deathstroke. Jared Leto had also expressed interest in reprising his role as the Joker from *Suicide Squad*. In October 2016, Affleck revealed that the film's title was *The Batman*, and in December said that the film would begin filming in mid-2017 ahead of a 2018 theatrical release. *Justice League Part Two*, originally scheduled for 2018, was delayed indefinitely in order to make room for the release of *The Batman*. In January of 2017, Affleck revealed that the film did not yet have a script and raised the possibility that he would not direct it. He officially stepped down as director by the end of that month, though he was still attached as the star and producer.

Prior to this, Chris Terrio had performed a rewrite of the film's script. The script was set after the events of *Batman v Superman* and *Justice League*, and was said by cinematographer Robert Richardson to have been primarily set in Arkham Asylum. The script reportedly had Deathstroke cause a breakout at Arkham in order to wear down Batman both physically and mentally, drawing inspiration from the graphic novel *Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth*, the comic arc "Knightfall," and the video game *Batman: Arkham Asylum*. Joe Manganiello explained that Deathstroke was motivated by revenge, believing Batman to be responsible for the death of his son. Batgirl was to appear in the film as well and assist Batman in the climactic battle with Deathstroke. Zack Snyder filmed a post-credits scene for *Justice League* in which Lex Luthor reveals Batman's secret identity to Deathstroke, though this was replaced with a different post-credits scene in post-production. However, the original scene was restored in *Zack Snyder's Justice League*.

Affleck later revealed that he had stepped down because he was unable to get the film's script to a desirable point and felt someone else should have a chance to direct the film. *The Batman* had reportedly been "sidelined" by Warner Bros. following the negative response to *Batman v Superman*. Numerous directors were considered to replace Affleck, with Matt Reeves eventually being selected in February 2018. Reeves was also signed on to produce *The Batman* along with Dylan Clark. Reeves wrote a completely new script for the film beginning in March, but initially wanted to keep it set in the DCEU and spoke to Affleck while writing. However, his new script focused on Batman much earlier in his career, and reports began circulating that Reeves wanted a younger actor to play Batman. By July, there were reports that Warner Bros. was seeking a new star for the film. Manganiello also publicly stated that he was unsure if he would be appearing in the film following Reeves' rewrites. In August, Reeves commented on the film's relation to the broader DC universe, stating it would connect to the greater universe but still be a standalone film without any cameos designed to set up other films. He reiterated this in 2019. Reeves stated that he wanted *The Batman* to explore the detective aspect of the character in greater depth than any film before it, and described it as being inspired by film noir. Reeves was further inspired by many other classic films, and aimed to make the film grounded and believable. Reeves was a lifelong fan of the character, and reread his favorite *Batman* comics to further fuel to creative process, in particular taking influence from *Batman: Ego*, a 2000 comic story exploring the psychology of Batman. Reeves chose not to re-tell Batman's origin story, which had already been adapted in *Batman Begins*, and instead set the film in the second year of Batman's crime-fighting career.

In August 2018, Reeves revealed that the script was nearing completion and said he was aiming to begin production in 2019. He submitted his first draft to Warner Bros. the following month. In January 2019, Warner Bros. set the theatrical release date for *The Batman* as June 25, 2021. Affleck confirmed that he was no longer starring in the film, citing a multitude of factors including his divorce, the troubled production of *Justice League*, his lack of enjoyment from the role of Batman, and his struggles with alcohol abuse.

### Casting

By May 2019, Warner Bros. had assembled a shortlist of actors to replace Affleck as Batman, with Robert Pattinson the frontrunner for the role. Reeves considered Pattinson, but did not contact him about the role and was unsure if he would take it. Following his starring role as Edward Cullen in the *Twilight* series, Pattinson had avoided large franchise films as he wanted to avoid the paparazzi and found such roles "dull." However, as a result he did not appear in any of the films of the rival Marvel Cinematic Universe, which made him an attractive candidate to Warner Bros. Nicholas Hoult, the other contender for the role, had appeared in the *X-Men* films, though these were not set in the MCU and featured Hoult wearing extensive makeup and prosthetics for much of his role.

Reeves reviewed the previous work of both actors and met with them in April. Both flew to Burbank, California for screen tests. In response to these tests, Reeves selected Pattinson, who was officially cast as Batman on May 31. News of his casting, however, had leaked before he even performed his screen test, much to his frustration. Some fans objected to the casting and requested that Pattinson be replaced, though Pattinson found the negative reaction to be less intense than he expected. Christian Bale, who had played Batman in *The Dark Knight Trilogy*, supported Pattinson's casting and encouraged him to make the role his own and ignore his critics. *The Dark Knight Trilogy* director Christopher Nolan, with whom Pattinson had worked on *Tenet*, also gave the actor advice.

In September, Jeffrey Wright negotiated to join the cast as James Gordon, while Jonah Hill entered negotiations to play one of the villains; either the Penguin or Riddler. Wright was cast in October, but Hill exited negotiations after reportedly requesting more than double the amount Pattinson was being paid. That same month, Zoë Kravitz was cast as Catwoman, a role she had previously voiced in *The LEGO Batman Movie*. Paul Dano was subsequently cast as the Riddler. In November, Andy Serkis, Colin Farrell, and John Turturro joined the cast as Alfred Pennyworth, the Penguin, and Carmine Falcone, respectively. Jayme Lawson and Peter Sarsgaard were cast by December.

### Filming

Principal photography on *The Batman*, under the working title *Vengeance*, began in London in January 2020. Filming was moved to Liverpool in March, then suspended for two weeks beginning on March 14 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Filming was announced to be suspended indefinitely on March 25. In April, the release date was delayed to October 1, 2021. According to Reeves, about a quarter of the film had been shot prior to the suspension, and while he did not intend to perform rewrites in the meantime, he would take the opportunity to review what had already been shot in order to prepare for the rest of filming and further explore the film's tone. In June, the British government finally granted permission for *The Batman* to resume filming in July at the earliest.

The virtual DC FanDome event was held in August, where Peter Craig was revealed to have contributed to the script and Barry Keoghan was announced to have joined the cast as Stanley Merkel. The film was confirmed to no longer be set in the DC Extended Universe, and instead was set in the universe designated "Earth-2." Filming resumed by September 3, though it only lasted three days before Pattinson tested positive for COVID-19. The crew entered a two-week quarantine, during which continued on sets and props at Leavesden Studios. Once Pattinson was cleared to return, filming continued on September 17. Filming was expected to conclude by the end of the year, and was limited to England.

In October, the release date was pushed back again to March 4, 2022. Filming resumed in Liverpool, with set photos of the shoot revealing Rupert Penry-Jones' involvement in the film. The production was provided with Industrial Light & Magic's StageCraft virtual production technology, which allowed for visual effects backgrounds to be rendered in real time during filming. Exterior shots and stunt scenes for Gotham City were filmed in Chicago in October. That same month, Farrell stated that he would be filming the rest of his scenes until February of 2021. Filming officially wrapped on March 13, 2021.

### Post-production

By June 2021, Con O'Neill was revealed as part of the cast while reshoots were planned to begin for a week in July. These reshoots were expected to begin in Glasgow before moving to York, England until the end of the month. Both Pattinson and Farrell were said to be involved in these reshoots.

## Music

Reeves revealed in October 2019 that his frequent collaborator Michael Giacchino would be composing the score for *The Batman*. That same month, Giacchino stated that he was so excited to compose the film's score that he had already completed the main theme. Because this theme was completed so early into production, it was able to be used in promotional materials. Giacchino's score was used in combination with the Nirvana song "Something in the Way" in the film's teaser trailer. Giacchino stated that he had complete freedom to write the film's score, and he and Reeves agreed that they had worked together to create their own distinct iteration of Batman. The film's complete score was released on February 25, 2022.

## Marketing

Reeves released test footage of Pattinson in the new Batsuit on February 13, 2020, accompanied by Giacchino's music. On March 4, Reeves released an image of the new Batmobile. On August 22, the film's teaser trailer was shown during the virtual DC FanDome event.

## Release

*The Batman* received a theatrical release beginning on March 4, 2022. It was originally scheduled for release on June 25, 2021 and then October 1, 2021 before arriving at its final date, with both delays occurring due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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## External links

* *The Batman* at Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia