Everything You Need to Know About "The Batman" So Far

1 | Robert Pattinson is an emo Bruce Wayne.

One of the most striking images in the trailer is this unmasked shot of Pattinson's caped crusader. Seemingly deviating from the playboy versions inhabited by Christian Bale and Michael Keaton, Pattinson's Wayne looks a little more haunted and a little less perfectly heroic. "His morality is a little bit off," the actor said of Batman, speaking to The New York Times. "He’s not the golden boy, unlike almost every other comic-book character."

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2 | It's not a Batman origin story.

Good news if you're tired of watching Bruce's parents be gunned down in an alley: this movie, according to Reeves, will not revolve around what we regard as the beginnings of Batman.

"I wanted to do not an origin tale, but a tale that would still acknowledge his origins, in that it formed who he is. Like this guy, he’s majorly struggling, and this is how he’s trying to rise above that struggle," the director told Nerdist. "But that doesn’t mean that he even fully understands, you know. It’s that whole idea of the shadow self and what’s driving you, and how much of that you can incorporate, and how much of it you’re doing that you’re unaware of." Sure, got it!

3 | The supporting cast is stacked with other acclaimed actors.

The Batman has been building caché as sort of a hip, indie-film inspired version, mainly because of its cast. That's Colin Farrell (The Lobster) above (really!) as Oswald Cobblepot, AKA The Penguin. High Fidelity star Zoë Kravitz is Selina Kyle, AKA Catwoman. Westworld's Jeffrey Wright is your new James Gordon. And Paul Dano (There Will Be Blood) will be the Riddler, supposedly the main villain in this film. While we don't see him in the teaser, we do see plenty of messages that have his signature.

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4 | It's separate from the rest of the DC cinematic universe.

The president of DC Films, Walter Hamada, said during the DC FanDome virtual event (per Comic Book Resources) that The Batman is outside of the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) continuity that includes 2017's Justice League, in which Ben Affleck played Bruce. (It's also been reported that Affleck will return to the role in The Flash standalone film, as will Keaton, who hasn't worn the Batsuit since 1992's Batman Returns.) All of these versions of the characters can coexist, Hamada said, because of the DC multiverse. Infinite parallel universes? Infinite possible Batmans.

5 | It's not even close to being finished.

Speaking to Deadline in April, Reeves explained that only "a quarter" of filming had been completed before production had to shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic. Variety reported that sources claimed The Batman will resume production in London in September, following the U.K.'s COVID-19 safety guidelines for shoots. Right now, it's still set to come out—hopefully in theaters—on Oct. 1, 2021.

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