Is 2020 over yet? After delaying “Dune” earlier this afternoon, Warner Bros. has just announced that they are moving Matt Reeves’“The Batman” from its original June 25, 2021 release date to a March 4, 2022 launch.
Production on “The Batman” in London was suspended twice this year. The first time was in March when the COVID-19 shutdown came into effect. The second shutdown was after star Robert Pattinson tested positive for the coronavirus shortly before Labor Day weekend. Filming on “The Batman” was back on track a few weeks later.
Safe for Pattinson, “The Batman” cast also includes Zoë Kravitz as Selina Kyle aka The Catwoman, Paul Dano as Edward Nashton aka The Riddler, and Colin Farrell as Oswald Cobblepot aka The Penguin. I’m particularly impressed by Dano’s creepy Riddler, an ultra-realistic tackling of the manic character that was last played by Jim Carrey in 1995’s “Batman Forever.” Farrell’s Penguin does not look at all like the Irish actor, who is hidden in a heavy dosage of makeup in this trailer (he, oddly enough, looks a lot like character actor Richard Kind).
If you remember, production was abruptly halted on “The Batman” in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Its writer-director Matt Reeves, speaking at ComicCon last month, admitted that roughly 25-20% of the film has been already shot. “We’re not officially editing right now,” said Reeves. “We’ve actually shot a quarter of the movie and I have been pouring through dailies, looking at takes, and what’s to come.”
Bassim Tariq was the first one in the chair. The "Mogul Mowgli" director spent two years building out the Mahershala Ali vehicle before exiting in 2022, and he's now letting the air out on this one.