Jeffrey Wright’s recent comments suggest The Batman risks repeating other movies’ mistake in their depiction of Gotham City. After delays due to COVID-19, director Matt Reeves’ new take on the Dark Knight will be released March 4th, 2022. Originally developed as a solo project for Ben Affleck, the film has since moved away from the DCEU’s continuity to make room for Robert Pattinson’s younger hero.
Set during his second year of crimefighting, Pattinson’s vigilante and his ally James Gordon (Jeffrey Wright) will tackle corruption in Gotham City while pursuing serial killer The Riddler (Paul Dano). The Batman will juggle multiple villains, revealing new interpretations of Catwoman (Zoë Kravitz) and Carmine Falcone (John Turturro). Additionally, the Penguin (Colin Farrell) will appear in a smaller role.
With filming having taken place in various locations around the UK, many hoped to see a return to a Gothic representation of Gotham City instead of the more grounded approach seen in previous movies. However, Jeffrey Wright’s comments to IndieWire about The Batman boasting the most realistic version of the city imply the latter, which could harm Gotham. What realism means can vary greatly from one filmmaker to another, but it would be a mistake not to fully establish a unique Gotham that feels properly inhabited by its famous characters.
Wright’s claim that The Batman’s “Gotham City is unlike Gothams we’d seen before” feels strange given DC’s recent film history. The Dark Knight trilogy envisioned a gritty, real-world landscape, but Christopher Nolan's version of Gotham was one of its weakest aspects. Although Batman Begins depicted Arkham Asylum and the poor, crime-infested Gotham Narrows, these elements were completely abandoned in subsequent films, with the city more closely resembling New York and Chicago. Although examining different districts befitting each film’s themes was interesting in theory, it meant Gotham never came together as a cohesive, living character. Some attempt was made to characterize the city through its citizens, especially those who were corrupt, therefore The Batman must do something different to explore its own corruption storyline. Wright also says of the new Gotham, “If you squint your eyes in some backstreet of New York, you could see it appear.” This sounds similar to Todd Phillips’ overly glib Gotham in Joker, which might as well just have been New York.
The DCEU’s Gotham has admittedly not yet been properly explored, and Zack Snyder’s portrayal did not evoke an understanding of Gotham like Burton's, though it was interspersed with notable landmarks like ACE Chemicals. No 21st century Gotham is comparable to the vicious monstrosity of Tim Burton’s Batman films, whose Gothic architecture towered over the poor outcasts in the city’s depths. Batman: The Animated Series echoed this iconography, blending its 1940s art deco designs with modern technology to depict a truly unique and timeless setting. Considering The Batman filmed around the eerie, foreboding architecture of Glasgow’s cemetery and Liverpool, one would hope Reeves’ noir story would embrace a more intimidating interpretation of Gotham. However, The Batman’s realism could always refer more to the downtrodden people, examining Gotham from a ground level that hasn’t been fully explored in any previous film. Reeves’ landscape could still offer a unique contribution, but the realistic approach may impact individual locales.
Tim Burton and Joel Schumacher showcased specific Gotham locations, such as the art museum, cathedral, Arkham, and various villain lairs. This is something Nolan and Snyder ignored, although Cathy Yan’s Birds of Prey deserves credit for the Black Mask Club and abandoned funhouse. The 1989-1997 Batman series made Gotham feel lived in, matching distinct locales with villains' personalities. Making Batman too realistic, as Nolan did, can result in a simplistic imagining of elitist offices and grotty dwellings. To stand out, The Batman must ensure Gotham is a primary character once more, not just a standard backdrop.
