The Batman will be a masterpiece, according to cast member Andy Serkis. The English actor plays Alfred Pennyworth in the DC Extended Universe film, which reunites him with his Dawn of the Planet of the Apes director Matt Reeves. After suffering from pandemic-related delays, The Batman is scheduled for wide release in the US on March 4, 2022.
The DCEU is no stranger to tumultuous production histories, and this solo-outing for the Gotham City vigilante has changed significantly from its first conception. Originally, Ben Affleck was to return as Batman while also serving as writer and director, though he gradually downgraded his involvement until he officially left the project entirely in early 2019. Instead, Robert Pattinson appears as the Caped Crusader in just his second year of fighting crime, when he is forced to contend with a serial-killing version of the popular supervillain Riddler (Paul Dano).
For his part, Serkis tells THR he believes the final product will be something special. He admits he is unable to say much about his role as Bruce Wayne's loyal butler, but he expresses excitement at having had the chance to work with Reeves and other Planet of the Apes colleagues again on The Batman. The director's investment in the project, Serkis says, virtually guarantees it'll be a masterpiece:
I’ll tell you that it was fantastic being reunited with Matt Reeves, [producer] Dylan Clark and [VFX supervisor] Dan Lemmon from the Apes films. We had such a great time making it, and when it eventually comes to the screen, Matt Reeves will have made another masterpiece film because he’s so super-invested in it. But yeah, I’ve been forbidden, expressly forbidden, to talk about Alfred.
Serkis joins a number of big-name stars in the cast of The Batman, many of whom are playing characters from the superhero's extensive rogues' gallery. Alongside Dano's Riddler are Zoë Kravitz as Catwoman, Colin Farrell as Penguin, and John Turturro as Carmine Falcone, though it's unclear how much screen time each will receive. On the side of the law, Westworld star Jeffery Wright will be the first actor of color to portray James Gordon, who at this point is not yet Gotham's police commissioner.
Serkis makes quite the claim for The Batman, and while fans would love for Reeves' film to be an outright masterpiece, most are probably skeptical. It's impossible to know how a new interpretation of the beloved vigilante will be received, particularly with the momentum behind Zack Snyder's Justice League likely creating a bias towards Affleck's portrayal. However, Serkis' confidence in Reeves' filmmaking is not entirely without precedent, as both of the final two films in the Planet of the Apes reboot trilogy were highly acclaimed upon release. Take his declaration with a grain of salt, but even for those who disagree with Warner Bros. decision to abandon Snyder's larger vision for the DCEU, it's hard not to hope Serkis is right about The Batman.
Source: THR
