Well, folks, you’ll have to wait a little longer for Batman to return to theaters. Matt Reeves’ The Batman was originally supposed to drop on June 25, 2021, but following its production shutdown, just like what’s happened with so many movies lately, the debut of Robert Pattinson’s Caped Crusader has been delayed, with the movie now arriving on October 1, 2021.
Naturally this is a disappointing update for some, but for The Batman co-writer Mattson Tomlin, he sees a silver lining with the movie’s new spot on the theatrical calendar. Tomlin shared his opinion on the date shift as follows:
The Batman suiting the October mood, you say? At first glance, Mattson Tomlin may just be referring to how Batman, frequently depicted as a shadowy, broody vigilante of the night, will fit nicely in a month that’s known for its spookiness. However, it’s entirely possible that this Twitter post also indirectly confirms a story arc that The Batman is inspired by: Batman: The Long Halloween.
It was rumored last summer that The Batman will be an adaptation of The Long Halloween, and Jeffrey Wright, who’s appearing in the movie as James Gordon, seemingly hinted this was indeed the case last month when he shared that he was reading the story. Written by Jeph Loeb and illustrated by Tim Sale, The Long Halloween was published from 1996 to 1997, so The Batman’s release would almost exactly coincide with the 25th anniversary of when the limited series began.
Set not long after Batman: Year One, Batman: The Long Halloween saw Bruce Wayne tracking down a serial killer called Holiday, who, as the name indicates, murdered people connected to organized crime on holidays, starting with Halloween. Along the way, the Dark Knight crossed paths with numerous members of his iconic rogues gallery.
Given what we know so far, while it’s unlikely that The Batman will be a direct adaptation of The Long Halloween, there are definitely some similarities. For one thing, the movie is reportedly set during Bruce Wayne’s second year of crimefighting and highlight his detective skills. It’s also been confirmed that Catwoman, Riddler, Penguin and Carmine Falcone, all of whom showed up in The Long Halloween, are appearing in The Batman.
The Batman’s cast also includes Zoë Kravitz, Paul Dano, Colin Farrell, Andy Serkis, John Turturro, Peter Sarsgaard, Jayme Lawson, Gil Perez-Abraham, Charlie Carver, and Max Carver. Originally this movie was set to feature Ben Affleck’s Batman, with Affleck having also worked on a script and intending to direct. However, Affleck couldn’t crack the story and eventually retired from the role, paving the way for Matt Reeves to craft a new story from scratch and Robert Pattinson to don the cape and cowl.
Keep checking back with CinemaBlend for more news concerning The Batman, and don’t forget to look through our DC movies guide to see what else this corner of the superhero movie realm has coming up.
