The Batman

From the sartorial choices to the scenery, the latest superhero reboot drips with alt-rock influences.

This Dark Knight is far more comfortable in the suit than he is as himself—when we see Pattinson venture out as Wayne he looks every inch the awkward adolescent. It’s a time that allows Reeves to build his Bat anew, and craft a compelling standalone story with a distinct style and tone. That Bruce Wayne is nowhere to be found in The Batman. Instead, director Matt Reeves alleviates the burnout by capturing the Caped Crusader at a different point in his life—20 years after his parents were killed, but only two years into his quest for vengeance.

Robert Pattinson's The Batman is the seventh Batman film since 2005. The culture-dominating caped crusader remains an emblem for a certain type of ...

Perhaps it’s (vague) realism: after all, it’s difficult to imagine oneself as Superman’s Clark Kent (an immortal alien from another planet) or Spiderman’s Peter Parker (part twink, part spider). But when it comes to Bruce Wayne, or even Iron Man (billionaire genius Tony Stark, who notably kicked off the MCU in 2008), there’s a tiny, microscopic chance that men could actually be him. Hollywood’s most unintentionally memeable actor has assured us that his version of Bruce Wayne is a “ weirdo” (as if a guy who cosplays as a bat every night could be anything else?) and that it’s a “sad movie”. He’s not wrong: “Thee” Batman (as it should be known) is a dark and bleak spectacle. This is the seventh Batman film since 2005 (eighth if we include The Joker, which doesn’t actually feature Batman, but is very much part of the canon). These films are overwhelmingly marketed towards men and it seems like there's a special male love for Batman. It’s easy to see why a billionaire playboy-turned-hero – with beta male sidekick Robin and a cool car – was popular when Batman first appeared in DC Comics in 1939.

We exclusively speak to The Batman producer Dylan Clark and stars Jeffrey Wright and Paul Dano about continuing the Batman legacy.

You want to deliver the expectations that give us the big entertainment that we so desperately needed to see in the theatres, but you want them to turn to each other and say, ‘wow, that movie really moved me that got me emotionally’. It’s that cross-section between the big commercial entertainment with a quality character-driven execution.” “It also provided, as a means of evolving the thing, the ability to keep it relevant as Gotham itself evolved over time. “But fans can place their trust in these characters and somehow through the telling of these stories, hope lives and that will never fade away. It was just smart stuff, as originally drawn by Bill Finger and Bob Kane – it was set in a city, unlike most superheroes, so there was an accessibility to it in that way. But I think what’s intriguing too, equally so, is this celebration of Batman as the world’s greatest detective and the mystery and the intrigue that comes along with that.” I’m excited to be part of this because it’s this iconic franchise, but I was really drawn into the elements that Matt had brought to the fore with this idea. He wants to wow you with the spectacle, but he really wants to move you emotionally. Ridder with his puzzles, that lead to cyphers and cyphers lead to serial killers and a clever guy that is created because he sees Batman in this world. “This character has been in our culture for so long, and is there to be reinterpreted. The movie is set during Year Two of Batman’s story, meaning he’s trying to figure out exactly what he wants and he’s not always going to get it right… “There are certain properties that you just love and you know that there are more stories to be told,” Clark says. “They need to be physical, they need to be emotional, they need to have an intensity.

The Batman, starring Robert Pattinson as Bruce Wayne and Gotham City's vigilante detective, is released this week. Here we lift the hood of Batman's ...

“We built the car so it could be put in either general driving mode or jump mode. The new Batmobile was built around a V8 engine with 700 horsepower and four-wheel drive. Apart from the engine, tyres and gearbox, the car is custom-made. I think that is appealing.” "I loved the fire that came out of the back. I thought that was the coolest car ever. The Batmobile is Batman’s awe-inspiring signature vehicle. "And when you get closer to that and you see that even the Batmobile looks like something handmade if you had the perseverance and the cash… Tuohy notes: “That is something that they use in the rally car fraternity, because it gives the car dynamics that you wouldn’t normally have and allows the driver to come around a corner with just the front wheels working, and with the push of a button, transfer all the power to the front wheels, or the rear wheels, or both. “The look of Wayne Tower, the look of the Batcave and the look of the Batmobile reflect that he couldn’t care less about his wealth and Wayne Industries." “Bruce is single-minded in his mission and his construction of the car is all about function: if it’s useful, he keeps it; if it’s extra, he throws it out. “You say to yourself, ‘Well, we’re going to need our version of the suit and cowl, and we’re going to need gadgets, and we’ll need our version of the Batmobile.’

The Batman is full of easter eggs and call backs to DC comics, noir films, and even real-life events! Here's everything we've found so far.

- Like in The Batman, the Earth One version of Martha is a member of the Arkham family as opposed to the equally wealthy Kane family. It’s by defeating the Riddler in “Zero Year” that Bruce is able to complete his transformation into the symbol of hope and justice that Gotham needs — which is basically how The Batman ends, too. - “Matt [Reeves] very cleverly just decided, one that we’re in year two of Batman’s story, but also that Gordon is still a lieutenant which gives him the opportunity to be more active and to be in the middle of the grime of the city and also in the core of the plot because we’re focused on this set of mysteries [and] celebrating Batman as the world’s greatest detective,” Jeffrey Wright tells us. “Gordon is alongside him, and they bring their detective skills together in a way that I don’t think we’ve necessarily delved into too deeply in the past, but is very much in line with the history of the franchise. He won’t commit to the idea that Joker is the villain of the next movie, though. - While Tommy Elliot’s father’s name in the comics was Roger, not Edward, the movie Elliot’s first name is “Edward,” and in theory that’s our movie Riddler’s first name, too. - Even the Riddler’s “question mark” in this film is stylized with a gunsight-esque design, itself reminiscent of how the Zodiac often signed his missives. We can’t help but notice that this character shares a surname with Tommy Elliot, better known to DC Comics fans as the villainous Hush, a character who shares several similarities with the version of the Riddler we get on screen here: - Like in the movie, Catwoman’s modern backstory in the comics is that she was orphaned as a little girl. While Paul Dano’s Riddler bears very little in common with the less ruthless criminal mastermind of that era, when he gets agitated during his interrogation scene, a little bit of Gorshin’s manic-ness seems to creep into his voice and line delivery. - We get a new version of Batman’s Grapple Gun in the film that feels like it’s straight out of a pulp magazine, down to it having an actual gun shape. But Ego by Darwyn Cooke is also very good, taking a deep dive into the Dark Knight’s psyche as he struggles to balance his true self and the mask he wears as Bruce Wayne — something very present in Pattinson’s portrayal of the billionaire-turned-vigilante.

'The Batman' sequel is on everyone's minds now that Matt Reeves' new take on the DC superhero is out in theaters. What will happen next to Bruce Wayne, ...

We don’t know precisely what will spur their reunion, but we imagine Bruce will need some extra help if he has to face The Riddler, The Joker, and The Penguin in The Batman 2. Producer Dylan Clark revealed to ComicBook.com that The Batman 2 should come out by 2027 at the latest. Clark also told Comic Book Movie that it’s too early to discuss sequel details as they’re still focused on making sure The Batman is a box office success. If you’ve seen The Batman, you know it leaves you wanting more. If you were as enraptured by Matt Reeves’ The Batman as many other fans, then you, too, are wondering what will happen next in a sequel. With another movie only in talks, fans still have the confirmed HBO Max spinoffs to look forward to.