First, we got the brief video/camera test showcasing Robert Pattinson as Batman (followed by some, less-than-stellar set photos showing more of the costume), and now, director Matt Reeves has shared his vision of the Batmobile that we’ll see in the upcoming superhero film, “The Batman.” And let’s just say, Pattinson’s Caped Crusader is going back to the basics in this new film.
As shown in new pictures, the Batmobile isn’t the tank that Christopher Nolan made popular in the ‘Dark Knight’ Trilogy. And it’s now the flashy, sleek vehicles we’ve seen in the Burton/Schumacher eras, either. Instead, what Reeves has shown, is that “The Batman” is going to present audiences with a younger hero that relies more on function rather than fashion.
The Batmobile is barely more than a sports car with a couple of extra farings. And you know what? It looks pretty great. Combining these photos with the earlier look at Pattinson’s suit, it’s clear that Reeves has a very distinct vision for what he thinks Batman should look like. Sure, the hero is still a billionaire playboy with some serious issues, but he’s also pragmatic. Why would he need a huge vehicle that has all the bells and whistles that Burton and Schumacher presented before? No, what he needs to fight crime is a fast car that looks badass and gets the job done. The same goes for the suit, which is clearly more armored than previous live-action versions of the character, emphasizing the necessity for protection that arises when a normal human attempts to fight crime every night.
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Now, will this realism bleed into other aspects of the story? Are we going to see a Batman that explores his mental illness more than before? Flashbacks are great and all (and there’s no way we’re going to avoid flashbacks in this one, for certain), but how interesting would it be if Reeves gave Pattinson the ability to truly emote and show that Bruce Wayne is a broken soul? Nolan attempted to do this, especially in “Batman Begins,” but eventually, superheroics won the day and in the case of “The Dark Knight,” the villain was just much more interesting.
This is an awful lot of speculation based on pictures, to be fair. However, it also speaks to the fact that Reeves is trying something new with a character that we’ve seen presented on the big screen for decades. And that’s pretty damn exciting and worth exploring.
“The Batman” arrives in theaters on June 25, 2021.