The Batman is in the midst of principal photography, and one of the members of the main cast is Westworld’s Jeffrey Wright, who will be playing the eponymous protagonist’s GCPD ally, James Gordon. Wright has been stocking up on Caped Crusader reading material, having previously shared that he was looking through Batman: The Golden Age Vol. 1.
Now the actor has shared another DC Comics collection that he’s been perusing, and it lines up with a previous rumor about a storyline that will influence The Batman’s own narrative. Take a look:
Written by Jeph Loeb and illustrated by Tim Sale, Batman: The Long Halloween is a 13-issue limited series published from 1996 to 1997. Taking place not long after Batman: Year One, The Long Halloween ranks as one of the most critically acclaimed Batman stories of all time, and along with previously being partially adapted for the Gotham TV series, it’s also set to be turned into a two-part animated movie for the DC Universe Animated Original Movies line.
Back in September, it was rumored that The Batman would adapt The Long Halloween, and Jeffrey Wright’s latest Instagram post certainly strengthens that claim. Needless to say that doesn’t mean that The Batman will be a straightforward adaptation of The Long Halloween, but considering how Matt Reeves is making a noir-influenced movie that highlights the detective skills of Robert Pattinson’s Batman, that’s a good story to pull from.
The Long Halloween follows Batman tracking down a serial killer named Holiday over the course of a year, with the majority of Holiday’s victims being connected to the Falcone mob. Along the way, Batman crosses paths with numerous members of his classic rogues gallery, and the story ultimately serving as a means for Harvey Dent’s transformation into Two-Face.
While there’s been no mention of Holiday appearing in The Batman, Four villains who did pop up in The Long Halloween will be present in the movie: Catwoman, played by Zoë Kravitz; Riddler, played by Paul Dano; Penguin, played by Colin Farrell; and Carmine Falcone, played by John Turturro. It’s also unclear if Harvey Dent is involved in The Batman, as the city’s district attorney in the movie is a brand-new character named Gil Colson, played by Peter Sarsgaard.
Add in that The Batman will reportedly be set in Bruce Wayne’s second year of crimefighting, which is approximately the same time when The Long Halloween took place, it definitely seems like a lot of signs are pointing towards the movie infusing the spirit of that storyline. Perhaps that could mean that The Batman 2 will be inspired by The Long Halloween’s sequel, Dark Victory, which depicted Dick Grayson entering Bruce’s life and becoming Robin.
Other folks popping up in The Batman are Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth and Jayme Lawson as Bella Reál, as well as Gil Perez-Abraham, Charlie Carver and Max Carver being cast in undisclosed roles. Along with directing, Matt Reeves also co-wrote the script with Mattson Tomlin.
The Batman swoops into theaters on June 25, 2021. If you’re curious about what other DC Comics movies are coming down the pipeline, look through our comprehensive guide.
