When it was revealed that a new Batman movie was due to be released in 2022, many fans were ecstatic at the news. Since Christopher Nolan's fantastic revival of The Dark Knight in his trilogy, viewers haven't been privileged with a good portrayal of the character. Ben Affleck's Batman was repeatedly let down by poor writing and storylines in the recent Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice and Justice League blockbusters.
What made Nolan's Dark Knight so special was his more realistic and darker version of the comic book vigilante. From the cunning antagonists to the gritty settings, Nolan got his rendition of the character spot on. With Matt Reeves set to direct and Robert Pattinson set to star as Bruce Wayne, will the new movie live up to its predecessor's high expectations?
Will: A Dark Gotham City
As previously mentioned, the key component to Nolan's fantastic Dark Knight Trilogy was his world-building. As seen in his other work like Inception and Interstellar, he has a real knack for creating his own very unique worlds for his films and Bruce Wayne's Gotham City was no different.
The city was dark, gritty, gothic by nature, just like the comics, which perfectly hid the corruption lying beneath the towering skyscrapers and crowds of people. The setting was a character in itself, and thankfully it appears that Matt Reeves is also opting for a noir-style backdrop to his masterpiece.
Won't: Detective Bruce
In The Dark Knight Trilogy, Bruce Wayne, played by the great Christian Bale, was a sometimes arrogant billionaire, living an empty life in solitary, until he decided to go on his very own hero's journey and eventually became Batman. But, unlike the comics, Bruce Wayne's detective skills are never really shown to the audience.
In Robert Pattinson's rendition of the character, fitting in perfectly with Reeves' noir-style, the movie is likely to focus more on his detective skills as the younger vigilante gets to grips with his newfound power. It also is probably the only way to defeat more intelligent villains like The Riddler.
Will: Big Name Villains
As many fans of Christopher Nolan movies are aware, the director always seems to recruit many A-List stars in his masterpieces. From Matt Damon's surprise appearance in Interstellar to Leonardo DiCaprio's leading role in Inception, the man sure knows how to cast and work with phenomenal actors. This, too, was the case with his Batman movies, especially with the villains.
Actors like Tom Hardy, Heath Ledger, Liam Neeson, and Cillian Murphy all starred in the trilogy, and it seems like Reeves has also managed to work with a great set of actors for his movie. Colin Farrell is set to play criminal mastermind Penguin, Paul Dano is set to play the cunning Ridler, and Zoe Kravitz has been cast as Catwoman. We are in for a treat.
Won't: No Origin
Christian Bale's Batman was introduced to audiences in Batman Begins as a billionaire who was still healing from his childhood wounds and searching for his life's purpose. The movie then followed his character as the viewers then saw his origin story. He trains with Ra's Al Ghul, he creates his very own Batsuit with Morgan Freeman's Lucius Fox and eventually goes on to face off against the film's villains.
But, as time has passed, origin superhero movies have become too overwatched. As seen with recent Marvel movies, and Todd Philips' The Joker, origin stories are overrated, and compelling stories can be told without showing how the hero got their powers. Matt Reeves plans to follow this trend with Pattinson's Batman likely to have already been The Dark Knight for a few years before the movie begins.
Will: Fighting Style
Gritty and martial arts-inspired fighting styles were propelled into popularity, and one movie series that pulled this off to perfection was Nolan's trilogy. Christian Bale's Batman fought with a Keysi fighting style, which is essentially a combination of martial arts and street fighting. This deadly mix of styles helped Bruce become an unstoppable force.
Although it hasn't been confirmed and despite his character leaning more towards the detective side of saving Gotham. From what was seen in the trailer, Robert Pattinson seems to be using a similar gritty fighting technique as Christian Bale used, which is great news for everyone.
Won't: Younger
When Christain Bale first became the Dark Knight, he was at a similar age to what Robert Pattinson is now, but the two different versions of the iconic vigilante are likely to be at different ages. Judging by his casting, and his new spin on the character, Pattinson's Bruce Wayne is likely to be a younger version compared to Bale's.
The casting of Jeffrey Wright as Commissioner Gordon and of Andy Serkis as a younger Alfred Pennyworth, adds to the speculation that Robert Pattinson may be playing a character younger than he actually is. Could this be a good thing? We think so.
Will: Technology
It's been 15 years since Nolan produced one of the best trilogies of all time, and it's no surprise then to say that technology has advanced a fair amount. So, it is also likely that Reeve's new film will also reflect the technological innovations from over the years. Since production has begun for the new film and halted many times, fans have been given a few sneak peeks at the blockbuster.
One thing that immediately went viral was the new Batcycle and Batmobile revealed in set photos. While having a raw and retro kind of feeling, the vehicles definitely look incredibly modern and, dare we say, perhaps even cooler than Nolan's military car.
Won't: Multiple Villains Vs. Main Villain
Many movies, especially superhero movies, like the Spiderman Trilogy and the Amazing Spiderman movies, have been accused of being overloaded with too many, and not compelling, villains into their flicks. However, Nolan managed to focus on one or two main antagonists in his films, leading to some of the greatest performances of all time (hint: Heath Ledger).
Matt Reeves, however, seems to be using multiple villains in his movie. So far The Riddler, Catwoman, and Penguin have been confirmed. Luckily though, since the film is going in the detective theme, many villains may actually work and pull all the strings together as the major antagonist reveals itself.
Will: Batsuit
Also leaked in the set photos, and in their incredibly teasing teaser trailer, was Robert Pattinson's new Batman suit. Bulkier than Bale's but slicker than Ben Affleck's, this suit seems to combine the best aspects of both. It's slick and won't look too weird fighting in, as Affleck's tended to do, with its mobile armor plating but it also is slightly bulky and intimidating, obviously pointing towards some more heavy-duty battles.
The design is very appealing. From the bigger and more prominent Bat logo to the cowl and wrist gauntlets, fans will definitely not be disappointed by Batman's new appearance.
Won't: Time
In his interviews, Matt Reeves has mentioned his need to modernize the franchise and one way he plans on doing this is by describing Pattinson's Batman as a "humanist." By this, he plans to explore a new side of Bruce Wayne in a new modern world. Asking questions like what would it be like to be a billionaire in today's world? And, how would Batman cope when facing off against a villain that uses his intelligence more than physical fighting ability?
All in all, this new modern twist on the character should lead to an even more grounded Bruce Wayne, exploring more of his dark past and present, and with a cleverly written and powerful script, fans could be in for one massive treat.