Matt Reeves' The Batman is set to introduce another Caped Crusader to the big screen in Robert Pattinson and, from what we've seen, the movie shaping up to be a fresh take on the mythos. The cast looks fantastic on paper and includes massive A-listers like Jeffrey Wright, who plays Commissioner James Gordon. Wright has been vocal about the film and its creative direction, having discussed making the production during the pandemic and teased Pattinson's wild performance as The Dark Knight. Now, the fan-favorite actor is opening up about how Reeves' vision for Gotham City differs from what we've seen in the past.
Like many of us, Jeffrey Wright is a fan of superheroes, and he understands that fans have come to expect certain things, especially when playing in a sandbox as well know as the Batman franchise. Gotham City is arguably the most iconic city in comic books, and capturing the fictional location on screen can be a challenge. However it seems The Batman's Matt Reeves put a lot of thought into his take on Bruce Wayne’s hometown. Wright explained the vibe of the films Gotham City to IndieWire, saying:
It was a Gotham we could touch. The way the Batmobile was described, I understood the aesthetic we were going for was something really palpable. If you squint your eyes in some backstreet of New York, you could see it appear.
Jeffrey Wright describes Matt Reeves Gotham City as "unlike Gothams we’d seen before." Based on the actor's musings, the aesthetic seems to be very street-level concrete jungle, and Wright is adamant about the setting being almost tangible. Judging from the teaser trailer, it definitely has a gritty vibe that distinguishes itself from past iterations of the crime-ridden city. Check out the teaser trailer down below:
The Batman will also feature Paul Dano as The Riddler, who appears to be the film’s main villain, along with Collin Farrell, who is almost unrecognizable in the trailer, as The Penguin. The more grounded feel of the movie should make it feel more like a classic Batman story. And with the Riddler being involved, there will probably be a significant mystery and sense of tension that requires the world’s greatest detective side of Batman.
Robert Pattinson’s version of Batman will be very different from the character’s previous on-screen versions. Pattinson will be playing a younger Bruce Wayne, which we haven’t really seen in a film, and that opens up a lot of exciting possibilities for the film. We know what a seasoned Caped Crusader looks like, but a raw one will be pretty unpredictable.
And The Batman will also introduce Zoë Kravitz as Catwoman, and it'll be interesting to see the dynamic between Selina Kyle and Bruce Wayne in this new take on the DC Comics property. Fans seem to be excited for this new direction for the character, and it'll be interesting to see what Matt Reeves ends up delivering. The film currently sits as one of the most anticipated flicks of 2022 and, hopefully, it arrives without any further delays.
The Batman is set to hit theaters on March 4, 2022.
