The Batman News: Everything DC Just Revealed About The Movie

The Batman panel at DC FanDome revealed an impressive amount of new information and details about the upcoming movie. DC's virtual convention has proven a success, with a ton of information and trailers on all the company's upcoming films being revealed. But the most revelatory panel of the day might just have been the panel on The Batman, which was actually more of an interview with director Matt Reeves alongside the introduction of an impressive new trailer which confirmed The Riddler will be the film's main villain.

Fans have long-awaited the arrival of more information on the film, production on which was hampered by the pandemic. It's been known for some time that Reeves is crafting a noirish crime thriller that focuses on a Batman early in his career. Warner Bros. and DC had already released a full cast list, which confirmed Paul Dano would be playing the Riddler, alongside Colin Farrell as The Penguin and Zoe Kravitz as Catwoman. And prior to the FanDome panel, DC Films president Walter Hamada confirmed that The Batman exists in a separate universe from other DC films, as was long-suspected.

Now, with the release of the trailer, which plays out to the somber sounds of Nirvana’s ‘Something In The Way’ and a slew of new information directly from Reeves himself, anticipation for the film is at an all-time high. While some details had already been revealed over recent months and the obligatory leaked set photos have already made the rounds on Twitter, there was a lot that was still unknown about the project until now. Here's everything we learned about The Batman from the trailer, the panel with Reeves, and the new images of Robert Pattinson's Batman.

The Riddler Is The Main Villain

As had long been thought, The Batman will see Paul Dano's Riddler take on the role of central antagonist. Fans have long-awaited a definitive on-screen Riddler, and it seems with this crime thriller Matt Reeves is set to deliver. The trailer opens with the murder of Gotham's mayor, Don Mitchell Jr., as a masked killer prepares to wrap the mayor's face in duct tape. At the crime scene, Jeffrey Wright's Detective Gordon finds a cryptic message left for Pattinson's Batman, complete with a standard Edward Nygma (or Nashton as he'll be known in the film) riddle, alongside an actual code that has some serious Zodiac killer vibes. It's even been said the code resembles the secret alphabet used by organized crime group the Court of Owls, which appeared in the Batman comic books.

It remains unclear whether the trailer is teasing the Court of Owls as part of The Batman, but what is clear is that this initial murder sets off a string of similarly mysterious crimes and grotesque tableaus, each including a message intended for Batman. Later in the trailer a funeral – likely the mayor's – is interrupted by a careening truck, then Pattinson's Wayne looks on as a man who seemingly has some sort of trigger in his hands reveals he has a message for Batman taped to his chest. It looks as though Riddler will be taunting Batman to, as Reeves put it, "solve this series of crimes" throughout the film. Reeves also stated in his FanDome appearance that Dano's take on the enigmatic Batman foe will be unlike anything audiences have seen before, and that he will "blow people's minds". And from the looks of the trailer, the Riddler of The Batman is certainly a far cry from the spandex-clad prankster of Batman Forever – a development sure to be greeted with unanimous approval.

Corruption Is A Central Theme

Reeves dropped a lot of plot details for The Batman during his FanDome interview, confirming that the more Pattinson's Batman looks into the corruption of Gotham City, the more he's forced to confront his own parents' part in the ongoing saga of Gotham's decay. The director said this journey would "end up being something that touches on his origins". In that sense, corruption looks to be a central theme of the film, seemingly providing a route into Batman's history while also motivating Riddler's initial murder of the mayor, who's duct-taped face has the phrase "no more lies" scrawled across it. It's already been confirmed that Peter Sarsgaard will play District Attorney Gil Colson – an original character who also sounds like he'll embody the kind of corruption that motivates Riddler. Sarsgaard has revealed Colson is a “politician who has trouble telling the truth” and a “pretty distasteful person". Perhaps he's also on Riddler's kill list.

The corruption aspect also plays into the new show based on the Gotham PD that will take place within the same universe as The Batman and air on HBO Max. Reeves revealed that the "epic history of corruption in Gotham" permeates the upcoming show, which he said during his interview would take place during year one of Batman's crime-fighting career. The director revealed that the show's story would play out from the point of view of Gotham's corrupt cops, who witness the emergence of this new "masked vigilante". It looks as though that police corruption also plays into The Batman, with the newly-unveiled trailer featuring a scene where Batman appears to confront a policeman, before having to be held back from physically harming the officer by other GCPD members.

Catwoman's Suit

The Batman might not be retelling the well-known Dark Knight origin story, but according to Reeves it will serve as an origin story for Zoe Kravitz's Catwoman. Up until FanDome, no images of the new Catwoman suit had been revealed, aside from some set photos, with the actress claiming the Catwoman costume would have already been unveiled if it weren't for the pandemic shutting down production on the movie.

Now, the trailer has revealed the new outfit, or at least an early version of it, which looks to be more of a stealth-suit designed to help this version of Catwoman break into properties undetected – in this case, the mayor's residence in order to crack his safe. With Reeves confirming the film acts as a kind of Catwoman origin, saying "Selina isn’t Catwoman yet, that’s actually part of the journey," it seems likely the fairly inconspicuous suit shown in the trailer could change as the character develops.

Reeves' Unique Vision For Gotham

Tim Burton created a uniquely gothic take on Gotham with his original Batman movies, while Christopher Nolan chose to shoot on-location in Chicago and Pittsburgh for his Dark Knight Trilogy. Now, based on his comments at FanDome, it seems Reeves is trying to meld the two approaches and create something truly unique. Responding to a question about his vision for Gotham City, the director said he "wanted [Gotham] to feel like an American city you've never been to" and that he is trying to "create a version of it that you haven't seen before."

Reeves used the example of his movie's Gotham Square. For this location, the filmmakers shot in Liverpool, UK, and plan to enhance the footage in post-production by adding CGI buildings. Reeves said he specifically wanted to take advantage of "the foundation of the gothic architecture" in Liverpool, before adding "all of the more modern structures through CG." It's an approach designed to balance realism with fantasy in order to create something genuinely new and is yet another reason to be excited for The Batman. While Nolan's Dark Knight films are held in high regard, the city of Pittsburgh stood in for Gotham City in The Dark Knight Rises and didn't necessarily feel like it embodied the grittiness of Gotham City. Meanwhile, Burton's stylized take on Gotham, especially in the horror-inspired Batman Returns, didn't sit well with some fans. Luckily, it seems Reeves is hoping to bring both realism and artistic awareness to The Batman's interpretation of Gotham.

The Penguin Isn't The Penguin Yet

There's been some debate about whether Colin Farrell's Penguin appears in the new trailer or not. Many are convinced the balding man who delivers the line "this guy's crazy" during a car chase is Farrell in prosthetics, but set photos have seemingly shown Penguin to have white hair in the film. Either way, Reeves revealed during his interview that his version of The Penguin will be somewhat of a kingpin. In the comic books, the character is depicted as a more of a crime boss and less of a Tim Burton-style freak of nature. As such, many were expecting Colin Farrell's take on Penguin to be geared more towards the crime boss aspect, and it that certainly seems to be what Reeves is aiming for – but perhaps for a sequel.

Talking during his FanDome appearance, the director addressed Farrell's Penguin, saying "Os[wald Cobblepot] isn’t the kingpin he’s going to become, he’s not The Penguin. In fact, he doesn’t like being called 'The Penguin'.” It seems The Batman will feature a somewhat less intimidating Penguin that the infamous villain of the comic books. Much like the film is said to include a Catwoman origin story, it looks as though it will also feature a Penguin who is not yet prolific enough to claim his place in Batman's rogues gallery. In fact, it sounds as though he could be a figure of ridicule based on Reeves' assertion that he "doesn't like being called 'The Penguin'."

Pattinson's Batman is Dark And Imperfect

One thing that's certain following the trailer and Reeves' comments is that the Batman of this film is a darker incarnation that perhaps audiences have seen yet. During his FanDome appearance, the director confirmed that The Batman focuses on year two of the vigilante's career, and it sounds as if Pattinson's Batman is driven more by a desire to change Gotham than to avenge his parents' death. According to Reeves, he's focused on "what he can do to finally change this place" but finds his efforts are in vain after almost two years on the job. Reeves went on to say that "what he's doing doesn't seem to have any effect" and that this version of Batman is "not perfect" and will "make mistakes and fail and grow and be heroic." This suggests the film will explore the still-relatively inexperienced vigilante's faults, alongside focusing on Batman's trauma.

Perhaps that explains one particularly brutal scene in the trailer where Batman beats up a gang member in vicious fashion, landing a few extra frantic punches long after he's incapacitated the helpless criminal before uttering the soon-to-be-famous line "I'm vengeance". Pattinson's Batman is likely frustrated by his inability to curb the aforementioned corruption that plagues his city, and appears to be taking that frustration out on Gotham's undesirables. No wonder "the public are afraid of him," as Reeves put it.

The Film Is Partly Inspired By Taxi Driver And Chinatown

Much like Todd Phillips hugely-successful Joker, it seems The Batman was at least partly inspired by classic Martin Scorcese movies such as Taxi Driver. Speaking about the grounded tone he's aiming for, Reeves pointed to the 1976 movie as an example, saying: "A movie like Taxi Driver, the description of a place and very much getting inside somebody’s head. A lot of ‘70s, street-grounded stories.” It's already clear that Pattinson's Bruce Wayne is a little more unhinged than other incarnations of the character, and using Taxi Driver as inspiration should provide a fascinating, point-of-view take on the crime drama playing out in Gotham City. Of course, the protagonist of Taxi Driver, Travis Bickle, ultimately goes on a murderous rampage, killing a house full of criminals before ultimately being praised for his actions by the citizens of New York. Considering Reeves' statement that Batman will be "confronting the shadow side of himself" in this movie, the Taxi Driver influence seems to be a big one.

Reeves also revealed The French Connection and Chinatown as inspirations for his noirish, detective-focused take on the Dark Knight, saying: “In Chinatown, Jake Gittes, in investigating the series of crimes that were part of that story, he discovers the depth of corruption in Los Angeles. So in that way, it's like a classic noir. This series of murders that Batman is investigating are very much in that mode." It seems Reeves is leaning heavily on the realism with his Batman movie, crafting a mystery narrative that could take place in reality – something the director confirmed during the panel, saying "we’re treating this Batman story as if this could’ve happened". This was fairly common knowledge prior to Reeves' appearance at FanDome, but it's certainly interesting to hear about the exact movies that inspired the film's plot, which gives a more rounded picture of exactly what audiences can expect from The Batman when it finally arrives in 2021.

The Batcave Isn't A Cave

Most live-action Batcaves have really embraced the actual cave thing, but it looks as though Pattinson's Batman will take things in a whole new directions. As revealed in the new trailer, rather than a grand underground cavern populated with advanced technology, the vigilante of The Batman looks to have embraced a more low-tech aesthetic – repurposing a subway station as his hideout of choice. Such a change fits well with a more inexperienced, early-career Batman, and gives the Batcave of The Batman a little more character than the non-descript cavities that have appeared in previous films.

There's A Lot More To Come

Despite the trailer being a genuinely thrilling affair, it seems most of the movie hasn't even been shot yet. It's been widely reported that The Batman had to close down production due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but according to Reeves, only 25 to 30% of the film has been shot so far. Production is set to get underway again in September, but things are looking good thus far if DC can cut together such an impressive trailer with less than half of the movie in the can.

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