DC Comics’ Dark Knight has a long and successful history in films and television, and now he’s poised to return to the big screen in The Batman, the upcoming solo feature set in Warner Bros. Pictures’ cinematic universe of DC superheroes and villains. The development has been slow on the project, but casting now appears to be underway, both official and otherwise.
Set to be directed and written by Cloverfield and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes filmmaker Matt Reeves, The Batman will be the character’s first solo feature since the conclusion of Christopher Nolan’s acclaimed Dark Knight trilogy. The film scheduled to hit theaters in June 2024, with Robert Pattinson taking over the role of the Dark Knight and several other well-known faces playing some of Gotham’s most prominent citizens.
Here’s everything we know about The Batman so far.
- Title: The Batman
- Release date: June 25, 2024
- Cast: Robert Pattinson, Joe Manganiello, Jeremy Irons, Zoe Kravitz, Jeffrey Wright
- Director: Matt Reeves
The Batman cast: Who is playing Bruce Wayne, and who else stars?
A lifetime ago, it seems Ben Affleck was going to star in and direct The Batman. But a lot has changed, and now Robert Pattinson will star in the titular role.
Pattinson has had a lot of time to prepare for the role by doing quite what you’d expect: reading the comics. Every actor that takes on Batman has to put his stamp on the iconic, gravelly voice. Pattinson’s will be “kind of piratey.”
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Despite some fans’ theories (and fervent wishes), Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker will not feature in The Batman since the villain as we know him in Todd Phillips’ Joker exists in a separate universe.
Though there’s no Joker, The Batman will star The Riddler, aka Edward Nashton, played by Paul Dano.
Batman will have an ally in Selina Kyle, aka Cat Woman, played by Zoe Kravitz, and a love-hate relationship with Commissioner Gordon, played by Westworld star Jeffery Wright.
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In talks to play Alfred Pennyworth is Andy Serkis, and as Gotham crime boss The Penguin, we’ll have Colin Farrell. Though it seems likely, they will take on those roles, and it is yet to be 100% confirmed.
The Batman release date: When is The Batman out in cinemas?
At the time of writing, The Batman has a release date of June 25, 2024. However, there is still a lot of work to be done. Casting is still underway, and Pattinson has reportedly begun training for the role of the caped crusader.
On November 2, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu athlete Rigan Machado posted a picture of himself on Instagram demonstrating a move to Pattinson with a caption that read, “Batman is coming.” The photo has since then deleted.
The Batman plot: What story will The Batman tell?
Given Pattinson’s age, it’s like The Batman will explore the eponymous character’s formative years, though Reeves has adamantly denied he’ll be adapting the Year One comic.
However, he has confirmed that the film will not be standalone, and will instead tie into the broader ‘World of DC’ project.
“There are ways in which all of this connects to DC, to the DC universe as well. We’re one piece of many pieces, so I don’t want to comment on that except to say that I’m focused very specifically on this aspect of the DC world,” he said.
However, Aquaman’s Jason Momoa has revealed that he won’t be joining up with the Dark Knight anytime soon.
