Warner Bros. is about to launch their latest incarnation of the Batman franchise with Matt Reeves’ “The Batman,” and they’re hoping that the massive view-counts for the trailers will equal box office success. After all, the last two solo ‘Batman’ films earned the studios over a billion dollars a pop.
READ MORE: Matt Reeves Wrote ‘The Batman’ With Robert Pattinson In Mind For The Hero
Robert Pattinson has taken over the cowl of the character, and the upcoming film is set for a March release. However, in bold news, it’s going to really continue that “epic superhero” status with its runtime. Variety has revealed that the new film has a runtime of nearly three hours and a total of two hours and forty-seven minutes before credits are factored in (closer to 175 minutes all said and done).
This would make the superhero pic the longest Batman film to date. Warners is putting all their chips in on Reeves’ version of Gotham with a “Gotham PD” and Penguin-centric series heading to HBO Max. “The Batman” is expected to be the first in a planned trilogy. However, it’s unclear when a sequel could go into production as Pattinson is attached to lead a new sci-fi film for Oscar-winning director Bong Joon Ho (“Parasite,” “Snowpiercer”).
For some comparison and context, Christopher Nolan’s “Dark Knight” trilogy pushed the two-hour mark with each installment, and “The Dark Knight Rises” has a runtime of two hours and forty-five minutes, with credits. But that was, of course, the third film of a hit series, not the opening film of a new and untested installment being released during an ongoing pandemic. It’s a gutsy gamble on the part of Warners, especially in the age of COVID-riddled box office results.
“The Batman” will introduce audiences to new versions of Batman’s rogues’ gallery with Zoe Kravitz’s Catwoman, Paul Dano as a menacing take on The Riddler, and the aforementioned Penguin played by Irish actor Colin Farrell in heavy makeup prosthetics. There is a good chance that the two HBO Max series could help further flesh out the universe and attempt to set up other future baddies for the main trilogy. Rumors already have it that Barry Keoghan could be playing another character you might know as well.
The DC Comics movie debuts to the public domestically on March 4.