Unlike most Warner Bros. releases due to the COVID-19 pandemic, The Batman<\/em> will not be released simultaneously in theaters and on HBO Max. The film will debut exclusively in theaters before heading to HBO Max 45 days after its initial release. From its official release date to the star-studded cast, HollywoodLife<\/strong> has rounded up all the major updates about The Batman<\/em>.<\/p>\n The Batman<\/em>, based on the popular DC comic books, is the latest take on the Dark Knight. Twilight<\/em> alum Robert Pattinson<\/strong> nabbed the leading role of the Caped Crusader and will take the film in a new direction with a new story. The previous live-action Batmans have been played by Michael Keaton<\/strong>, Val Kilmer<\/strong>, George Clooney<\/strong>, Christian Bale<\/strong>, and Ben Affleck<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n Other than the cast and the first trailer, which dropped in 2020, additional specifics about The Batman<\/em> have not been revealed. Warner Bros. is keeping a lot of the details surrounding The Batman<\/em> under wraps for the time being. However, the trailer hints at a much darker Batman tale than we’ve seen in previous movie versions.<\/p>\n Affleck was initially supposed to director, star, and co-write The Batman<\/em>. The Oscar-winning actor stepped back as director in 2017 while staying on as the star and producer. “It has become clear that I cannot do both jobs to the level they require,\u201d Ben told Variety<\/em><\/a>. \u201cTogether with the studio, I have decided to find a partner in a director who will collaborate with me on this massive film. I am still in this, and we are making it.” Ben eventually departed the film in 2019 and a search began for a new Batman.<\/p>\n With the introduction of RPattz’s Batman, president of DC Films Walter Hamada<\/strong> confirmed at DC FanDome<\/a> in 2020 that The Batman<\/em> is set on an alternate Earth known as Earth-2. “On one Earth, you have Gal [Gadot]<\/strong> and Jason [Momoa]<\/strong> and Ezra [Miller]<\/strong>, as this Justice League and you can continue telling these stories, while on another Earth, you can have a more grounded, real, Year Two Batman.” Affleck and Keaton will be reprising their Batmans in the upcoming Flash<\/em> standalone movie, which will be released in November 2022.<\/p>\n Principal photography began on The Batman<\/em> in January 2020. Like most productions, The Batman<\/em> was shut down in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Filming resumed in England in September 2020. The movie was initially supposed to be released on June 25, 2021, but when filming was suspended indefinitely, the release date was pushed to October 1.<\/p>\n Just when production was kicking back up in September, filming was halted again because Rob contracted COVID-19, Vanity Fair<\/em><\/a> first reported. \u201cA member of\u00a0The Batman<\/em> production has tested positive for Covid-19, and is isolating in accordance with established protocols. Filming is temporarily paused,\u201d Warner Bros. said in a statement. Filming resumed after Rob was cleared to go back to work.<\/p>\n A few weeks after Rob got back to work, Warner Bros. announced that The Batman’s<\/em> release date was being delayed again. The official release date is now March 4, 2022.<\/p>\n Robert Pattinson<\/strong> was cast as Batman\/Bruce Wayne in May 2019. The role of the Caped Crusader came down to Pattinson and Nicholas Hoult<\/strong>. The Batman<\/em> marks Pattinson’s first foray into a major film franchise since the Twilight<\/em> movies. Matt Reeves<\/strong> is the director of The Batman<\/em>.<\/p>\n Zoe Kravitz<\/strong><\/a> will play Catwoman\/Selina Kyle. She actually voiced the fan-favorite character in the 2017 animated film \u00a0The Lego Batman Movie. <\/em>Selina\u00a0is a cat burglar who crosses paths with Batman in Gotham City and has notably been his love interest. Zoe revealed on the Happy Sad Confused<\/em><\/a> podcast that she prepared for the role by reading the Year One<\/em> comic and opened up about the film. “The tone of this film very much feels like it’s own thing,” she said.\u00a0 “I didn’t really think about how difficult it is to make something as simple as a Catsuit original but it’s like, ‘How do you reinvent the jean jacket?’\u2026 But Jacqueline Durran<\/strong>, our costume designer, is amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n During the DC FanDome panel in August 2020, Matt noted that Zoe’s version of Selina Kyle is “incredibly exciting.” He added, “You have an iteration that you\u2019ve never seen of what she\u2019s doing, but it touches on all of these iconic things that people know from the comics. It\u2019s always about trying to square what you know with what also is new, and that is really part of the exciting process of making a Batman movie which is to find a way to make it your own, and to find a way for the actors to make it their own, and yet still connect all of these things so people go, \u2018Oh that\u2019s my Selina. I know who that is.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Paul Dano<\/strong> will star as Edward Nashton\/Riddler, one of Batman’s most notorious villains. Matt revealed at the same DC FanDome panel that Paul plays a version of The Riddler “that no one has ever seen before. He\u2019s such an incredibly creative actor, so what he\u2019s doing I think is going to blow peoples\u2019 minds.”<\/p>\n Matt also made this note about the nefarious crew in Batman’s world: “It\u2019s actually in a weird way the origins of a lot of our Rogues Gallery characters. Selina isn\u2019t Catwoman yet, that\u2019s actually part of the journey. Oz is not yet the kingpin that he\u2019s going to become, he\u2019s The Penguin and in fact doesn\u2019t like being called The Penguin. And The Riddler is just emerging for the first time.”<\/p>\n The Penguin\/Oswald “Oz” Cobblepot will be played by Colin Farrell<\/strong>. The actor underwent a major transformation<\/a> for the role, donning a fat suit and prosthetics. He revealed on his episode of the Happy Sad Confused<\/em><\/a> podcast that his role is a small one in the film. “I\u2019m only in it for five or six scenes, so I can\u2019t wait to see the film because it won\u2019t be ruined by my presence,” he said. “Really, it\u2019s a freebie to me. I\u2019ll get a little bit uncomfortable for the f-ing nine minutes I have, and then the rest of it, I cannot wait to see how he [Reeves] brought this world to life.”<\/p>\n The rest of the cast includes John Turturro<\/strong> as Carmine Falcone, Peter Sarsgaard<\/strong> as Gil Colson, Barry Keoghan<\/strong> as Stanley Merkel, Jayme Lawson<\/strong> as Bella Re\u00e1l, Andy Serkis<\/strong> as Alfred Pennyworth, and Jeffrey Wright<\/strong> as James Gordon. Jeffrey is the first actor of color to play Batman’s esteemed ally.<\/p>\n Matt also serves as a producer, along with executive producers Simon Emanuel<\/strong>, Walter Hamada<\/strong>, Michael E. Uslan<\/strong>, and Chantal Nong Vo<\/strong>. Dylan Clark<\/strong> is also a producer and Toby Hefferman<\/strong> is an associate producer.<\/p>\n Rob admitted that he’s excited about the different spin The Batman<\/em> takes on the famous hero.\u00a0\u201cI really like [director] Matt Reeves and his setup for it,\u201d the actor told Variety<\/em>.\u00a0<\/a>\u201cIt\u2019s an interesting direction. It\u2019s something from the comics which hasn\u2019t really been explored yet. It\u2019s crazy shoes to fill. It\u2019s interesting the different directions you can take with it and that the, in some ways, quite a specific character actually has a lot of leeway. When you look at the different tones of the movies and TV shows, you can do quite a lot with it.”<\/p>\n Matt has been vocal about how The Batman<\/em> is not an origin story about the Caped Crusader’s early days. This movie will feature a very angsty Batman. \u201cI wanted to do not an origin tale, but a tale that would still acknowledge his origins, in that it formed who he is,” Matt told Nerdist<\/em><\/a>. “Like this guy, he\u2019s majorly struggling, and this is how he\u2019s trying to rise above that struggle. But that doesn\u2019t mean that he even fully understands, you know. It\u2019s that whole idea of the shadow self and what\u2019s driving you, and how much of that you can incorporate, and how much of it you\u2019re doing that you\u2019re unaware of.\u201d<\/p>\n The first trailer for The Batman<\/em><\/a> dropped during DC FanDome in August 2020. This was our first real glimpse at Rob’s take on the Caped Crusader. The trailer begins at a grisly crime scene, with James Gordon reading off a note from Riddler, “From your secret friend. Who? Haven’t a clue? Let’s play a game. Just me and you…” He asks Batman if this means anything to him. The trailer also reveals Catwoman and Penguin.<\/p>\n At the end of the trailer, someone asks Batman who he’s supposed to be. Batman continually punches a guy in front of his friends and says, “I’m vengeance.”<\/p>\n New footage was shown at CinemaCon in August 2021. “I felt that we’ve seen lots of origin stories,” Matt said in a featurette, according to Entertainment Weekly<\/em><\/a>. “It seems things go further and further into fantasy, and I thought, well, one place we haven’t been is grounding it in the way that Year One<\/em> does, to come right in to a young Batman, not being an origin tale, but referring to his origins and shaking him to his core. You can have it be very practical, but I also thought it could be the most emotional Batman movie ever made.”<\/p>\n The world of The Batman<\/em> is already expanding, and we haven’t even seen the movie yet. HBO Max has already ordered a series set within the Gotham City PD, with Joe Barton<\/strong> set as the showrunner, according to Variety<\/em><\/a>. In September 2021, Variety<\/em><\/a> reported that a Penguin spinoff is in the works. Colin has reportedly been asked to reprise the role in the series, but a deal hasn’t been made yet. Everything regarding the Penguin spinoff is still in “early stages.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Get ready, Gotham. There’s a new Batman in town. ‘The Batman’ is coming to theaters in 2022, and HollywoodLife has everything you need to know about Robert Pattinson taking over as the Caped Crusader.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":109685740,"featured_media":4526300,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exclude_post_from_river":false,"_cr_original_post":"","_cr_replace_post_id":"","_cr_replacing_post_id":"","mt_seo_title":"'The Batman': Release Date, Cast & Everything Else You Need To Know","mt_seo_description":"From the release date to the cast to the spinoffs, here are all 'The Batman' updates you need to know.","_pmc_canonical_override":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"","apple_news_api_id":"","apple_news_api_modified_at":"","apple_news_api_revision":"","apple_news_api_share_url":"","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":"","apple_news_is_paid":"","apple_news_is_preview":"","apple_news_is_sponsored":"","apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"middle","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":[],"apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"footnotes":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[190,378004978],"tags":[48159,378004923],"_post-options":[378006328],"coauthors":[326312705],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"apple_news_notices":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/hollywoodlife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/The-Batman-Movie-Everything-To-Know-ftr.jpg?fit=620%2C350","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pc8i1J-iZqf","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hollywoodlife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4526015"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hollywoodlife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hollywoodlife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hollywoodlife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/109685740"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hollywoodlife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4526015"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/hollywoodlife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4526015\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4944636,"href":"https:\/\/hollywoodlife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4526015\/revisions\/4944636"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hollywoodlife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4526300"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hollywoodlife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4526015"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hollywoodlife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4526015"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hollywoodlife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4526015"},{"taxonomy":"_post-options","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hollywoodlife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/_post-options?post=4526015"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hollywoodlife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=4526015"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Robert](\"https:\/\/hollywoodlife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/The-Batman-Movie-Everything-To-Know-embed-1.jpg?resize=620%2C264\")
‘The Batman’ Key Information<\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n
‘The Batman’ Release Date & Filming<\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n
‘The Batman’ Cast & Crew<\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"Zoe](\"https:\/\/hollywoodlife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/The-Batman-Movie-Everything-To-Know-embed-3.jpg?resize=620%2C930\")
![\"Colin](\"https:\/\/hollywoodlife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/The-Batman-Movie-Everything-To-Know-embed-4.jpg?resize=620%2C931\")
‘The Batman’ Cast & Crew Reactions<\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n
‘The Batman’ Spinoffs<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n