The Detroit set of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice has yielded an expansive variety of pictures and videos taken by fans hoping for a glimpse of this iconic team-up of the World's Finest. From images of a graying Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne (and his shoulder injury) to the all-new Batmobile and even some pyrotechnics displays, we've seen a whole lot of behind-the-scenes action.
While Zack Snyder's followup to Man of Steel sees our new Superman (Henry Cavill) still just getting started, we know that Batman/Bruce Wayne has possibly been operating for close to two decades at this point in his career. This means that unlike Christopher Nolan's Bat-trilogy - which focused on the early days of Christian Bale's Batman before cutting to eight years later, when he has to come out of exile for The Dark Knight Rises - Affleck's Batman is an established (if still semi-mythical) crime-fighting force.
Thus, Affleck's Caped Crusader has a slick, highly evolved Batmobile and almost certainly a well-established base of operations somewhere beneath Wayne Manor, the iconic mansion that has been home to Bruce Wayne and generations of his family. Could this new batch of set photos and videos reveal the manor?
Have a look at this set video, which follows several Gotham City police cars screeching up to the front of a large mansion in Detroit known as the Ransom Gillis House (via CBM):
We also have an Instagram video and several other images, courtesy of onlookers:
No spoilers. Gotham PD car raced down the street and screeched to a halt in front of the building. #BatmanVSuperman pic.twitter.com/8qRXkFHPpM— The Bananadoctor (@Bananadoc) September 27, 2014
That was OK but can you screech the tires more next time? 10th take. Zack Snyder on #BatmanVSuperman set in #Detroit pic.twitter.com/xuI7jP1e5O— The Bananadoctor (@Bananadoc) September 27, 2014
It's a creepy house. Bad stuff is going down in there for sure! Gotham PD are on the scene! #BatmanVSuperman pic.twitter.com/N2NnuKS0Vr— The Bananadoctor (@Bananadoc) September 27, 2014
Fans spotted trailers labeled "Lois" and "Alfred," which is likely what fueled the idea that this location is being used for at least the exteriors of Wayne Manor... but what of the trailer below, which bears the character name "Chuck?"
@UniversoDC1 @Bananadoc @treinman @D3T0N8R Because of his trailer... There's a trailer for Lois, Alfred, and "Chuck" pic.twitter.com/tFgphuFqhL— Brian Williams (@SpyPhotographer) September 27, 2014
It has been speculated that "Chuck" is the character that Australian actor Callan Mulvey is playing, but there is no confirmation of this.
With Detroit doubling for both Metropolis and Gotham City, this locale could really be any number of places. Since the specific action has the Gotham PD wailing up to the house with their lights going, could this be the establishing/exterior shoot for some kind of standoff? If so, then whatever is happening inside may draw either Batman, Superman or one of the other heroes into the mix.
Still, the abandoned Ransom Gillis House, built between 1876 and 1878 for a dry goods merchant, is a suitably imposing structure, designed in the Venetian Gothic style. The property is now owned by the city of Detroit and fell into ruin. While much of the exterior appears to be intact, the main structure has never been fully restored. If this is Wayne Manor, then we'll probably only see a fleeting glimpse of it.
Do you think this is Wayne Manor, Screen Ranters? There are bound to be many more set images and videos, so stay tuned for more news as it surfaces.
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice opens in theaters on March 25th, 2016.
Source: CBM