- Release Date:
- March 4, 2022
- Director:
- Matt Reeves
- Cast:
- Robert Pattinson, Paul Dano, Jeffrey Wright, Colin Farrell, Andy Serkis, John Turturro, Peter Sarsgaard, Barry Keoghan, Jayme Lawson, Zoe Kravitz
- Rating:
- PG-13
- Runtime:
- 176 minutes
- Main Genre:
- Superhero
- Studio:
- Warner Bros.
- Writers:
- Matt Reeves, Mattson Tomlin
- Franchise:
- DC
- Related Articles
- Details
Summary
Matt Reeves' The Batman has Robert Pattinson don the cape and cowl as the titular superhero. The film follows a young Bruce Wayne in his early years as Batman. The Riddler's (Paul Dano) violent crusade against Gotham and the cryptic clues he leaves behind see Batman questioning the city's hidden corruption and the Waynes' involvement in it all. Along the way, Batman crosses paths with Zoë Kravitz's Catwoman, who is also interwoven with the misdeeds stemming from Gotham's criminal underground and key players Carmine Falcone (John Turturro) and Penguin (Colin Farrell). Development for The Batman initially began with Ben Affleck, who signed on to direct, produce, co-write and star in the film. However, he ultimately dropped out, allowing Reeves to rework The Batman and remove the planned DC Extended Universe connection. Reeves wanted to explore the Caped Crusader before he was fully formed and polished. Reeves also skipped over the expected retelling of Martha and Thomas Wayne's deaths. His approach delivered a detective-heavy story that brought a new sense of realism and darkness to the Batman universe as Bruce Wayne struggles to find balance with his new identity and figure out the meaning of vengeance. The results were a success, with critics praising the movie's score, cinematography and performances. The Batman marks the first entry in Reeves' planned trilogy, which already has a confirmed sequel. This marks the start of a shared universe that includes two in-development TV spin-off series for HBO Max, The Penguin and Riddler: Year One. However, Reeves officially kicked off The Batman universe with Before The Batman: An Original Movie Novel, written by David Lewman. Released a month before The Batman's official big-screen debut, the young adult prequel novel chronicles Bruce Wayne's early years, from childhood to young adult, and offers the first introduction of The Riddler, Alfred Pennyworth and other DC characters.
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