Director Matt Reeves' The Batman is set to take fans back to the dreaded Arkham Asylum. Viewers have visited the iconic house for the criminally insane in various live-action incarnations of the Caped Crusader over the years, going way back to the not so fondly remembered Joel Schumacher directed movies of the 90s: Batman Forever and Batman & Robin. While those interpretations may be better off forgotten, the Gothic insane asylum has also been seen in Christopher Nolan's revered Dark Knight trilogy, as well as Fox's Gotham TV show. And that's not even to mention the Arkham-set scenes in numerous Batman animated shows and video games.
Reeves will be offering up Bruce Wayne's alter ego's next big screen outing, due for release in 2021, with former Twilight star Robert Pattinson stepping into the cowl, replacing Ben Affleck - who at one time was scheduled to star in and direct the picture. We know a myriad of the hero's arch rivals are expected to appear, including The Riddler, The Penguin and Catwoman, to be portrayed by Paul Dano, Colin Farrell and Zoe Kravitz respectively. Now we know the setting in which some of these villains could be potentially popping up in.
Today, Variety reports that there was once talk of the entire film being set within the confines of the Asylum, which there is precedent for in both famous comic books and video games. However, that's not to be the case of this occasion, as only a few scenes will be taking place in Arkham. Whether this is where the already cast villains will show up in the movie remains to be seen, though one or two of them ending up there by the film's end credits seems plausible.
Specific plot details of the feature remain uncertain, though a noir-like detective tale has been rumored. With legendary Batman stories like The Long Halloween expected to be a source of inspiration for the flick, it wouldn't be a surprise to see Reeves draw upon direct panels of that story and have the masked detective visit the asylum to interrogate a villain for information on a case, Silence of the Lambs style.
Whatever the scenario, confirmation on the presence of the quintessential Batman location is exciting, with endless possibilities on how its appearance may play out. It could be presented as a more traditional mental health institute; a high tech fortress to prevent criminal escape; or an isolated, castle-looking building with horror movie vibes. We'll have to wait and see when The Batman is finally released in June 2021.
Source: Variety
