After being teased for months with test screenings, publicity photographs and leaked behind-the-scenes images, The Batman‘s trailer has finally dropped at the DC Fandome, with our first look at Robert Pattinson’s fresh foray as our man behind the cowl.
Set to Nirvana’s haunting song “Something in the Way” to establish the melancholic mood, the trailer begins at the end of a life. We see a head being wrapped in duct-tape with the words “NO MORE LIES” daubed in red, and snatches of The Batman’s primary antagonist, The Riddler, played by a masked Paul Dano. Already, The Batman is wearing its influences on its sleeve, taking comic book tones of The Long Halloween and Batman: Hush, and merging them into this Hitchcockian narrative.
We also get our first glimpse at the ensemble cast including Jeffrey Wright’s James Gordon, Zoë Kravitz as Selina Kyle (Catwoman) and a near unrecognisable Colin Farrell as The Penguin. Last seen on the big screen with Jim Carey’s whimsical interpretation in 1995’s Batman Forever, Paul Dano’s interpretation of The Riddler looks set to intrigue and horrify as his twisted riddles and traps test Batman’s steely resolve as he inaudibly asks “what is the price for your blind eye?”
After numerous portrayals of Batman’s arch-nemesis, The Joker (the most recent seeing Joaquin Phoenix win the Academy Award for Best Actor), The Batman is seeking to break into the deepest vaults of the Dark Knight’s rogue’s gallery, as each villain and anti-hero plays their part in the wider investigation to stop The Riddler’s torment in Gotham City.
In recent years, Pattinson has departed from blockbuster films such as the Twilight and Harry Potter series, in favour of more independent art-house productions like Claire Denis’ High Life and Robert Eggers’ The Lighthouse. His most recent acting credit, Tenet, is being released later this month, directed by fellow Batman alum Christopher Nolan.
While very little has been revealed about the fundamental plot, director Matt Reeves appears to be taking The Batman on a neo-noir journey and departing from the DCEU that was being developed with films like Batman v. Superman and The Justice League. Here, Bruce Wayne is a gaunt, shadowy figure and Batman in turn is a brutal vigilante, as seen as he pummels a thug to a pulp and asserts his identity: “I’m vengeance.”
After a sizeable delay due to COVID-19, The Batman is set to be released in October 2021.
Words by Jack Roberts
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