The Batman star Robert Pattinson has teased his and director Matt Reeves’ “incredibly different” comic book movie. Speaking with Total Film, Pattinson offered some insight into the melancholic nature of The Batman, and even went on to suggest that the movie does not necessarily need to spawn a sequel or franchise. Though it will sow the seeds...
"When I saw it the first time, even from the first shot, it does feel incredibly different, tonally, to the other movies. And it’s so strange, and kind of... It’s sad, and quite touching. It’s a really, really unusual Batman story, and it almost seems harder for me to imagine it being a series afterwards. I mean, they always have that little bit at the end, that’s like: ‘...and coming up!’ But other than that, it feels strangely personal. I think people will be quite shocked at how different it is."
Comic book movies have become by the far the biggest money-maker in modern movies, with each new outing teasing more adventures to come either with a stinger before the credits roll or a post-credits scene. Prior Batman flicks have toyed with this in the past, most notably in Batman Begins, which ends with Christian Bale’s Dark Knight being present with an ominous Joker card.
While Robert Pattinson clearly feels that The Batman works perfectly as a deeply personal, standalone experience, it sounds like it will not be immune to a similar sort of tease in its final moments. And, of course, despite Pattinson's thoughts, The Batman will indeed spark a new franchise.
Robert Pattinson is a Big Fan of Batman
Pattinson has heaped praise on The Batman, painting a picture of a highly prestigious comic book outing, but the actor has nothing against previous iterations of the DC icon. In fact, the actor recently revealed his respect for all Batman movies. Even the bad ones. Yes, even that one.
“I was always really looking forward to them coming out. There was the combination of just being so attracted to it, but also feeling like it'd had a lot of movies made about it, and none of them are bad movies. People kind of s--t on some of them, but they're not actually bad,” Pattinson explained. “They all kind of completely achieve what they set out to achieve, and they're all really interesting, according to their time and place. I don't know. I just had a weird instinct about it. But I've always loved the character.”
The Batman is directed by Matt Reeves, who wrote the screenplay with Peter Craig. The movie stars Robert Pattinson as Bruce Wayne/Batman alongside Zoë Kravitz as Selina Kyle/Catwoman, Paul Dano as Edward Nashton/The Riddler, Jeffrey Wright as James Gordon, John Turturro as Carmine Falcone, Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth, and Colin Farrell as Oswald "Oz" Cobblepot/Penguin.
The Batman is set during the second year of fighting crime and sees Bruce Wayne slowly uncover corruption in Gotham City while pursuing the Riddler, a serial killer who has begun targeting Gotham's elite. The Batman is scheduled for release in the United States on March 4, 2022.