Fans of DC Comics’ Batman will not have to wait much longer for the release of the next movie in the franchise. The Batman will premiere on March 4, 2022, with Robert Pattinson playing the role of the iconic Bruce Wayne. While each Batman movie is unique in its storyline, villains, and overall feel, Pattinson says his depiction of the superhero in The Batman is more different than any of the others.
Director Matt Reeves’ The Batman brings Pattinson in the leading role of Bruce Wayne as a much younger depiction. Other Batman movies showed an older, more jaded version of the character. But this movie will show a Batman in only the second year of his vigilante career.
Other movies, like Batman Begins, cover the titular character’s origin story. About his depiction of a younger Batman, Reeves said, according to Business Standard, “I wanted to do not an origin tale, but a tale that would still acknowledge his origins, in that it formed who he is.” The Batman goes into how Wayne is a billionaire in a rather anti-billionaire world.
Gotham City has its fair share of crime and supervillains. You can expect to run into the mob boss Carmine Falcone, the Penguin, and the Riddler as the villains. The complicated relationship between Batman and Catwoman will also take screen time in The Batman.
Pattinson spoke with GQ about how The Batman is different from other superhero movies, explaining that it’s darker and sadder. He discussed how the movie was filmed on the outskirts of London — always at night. It was dark all of the time. Pattinson wasn’t allowed out of the studio with his Batman suit and cowl on. He also had to take his breaks with the full suit on. So, the British actor said he was alone most of the time.
Pattinson spoke about how director Reeves wanted to make “’70s noir detective story” and how Batman really is “the world’s greatest detective.” It seems most people see Batman as the superhero who rushes in, beats up villains, and saves the day. However, The Batman goes into more of his conversations with the cops and even emotional scenes with them.
This Bruce Wayne is different from other movies’ depications. About his character, Pattinson told GQ:
“He doesn’t have a playboy persona at all, so he’s kind of a weirdo as Bruce and a weirdo as Batman, and I kept thinking there’s a more nihilistic slant to it. ‘Cause, normally, in all the other movies, Bruce goes away, trains, and returns to Gotham believing in himself, thinking I’m gonna change things here. But in this, it’s sort of implied that he’s had a bit of a breakdown … Like, it’s two years into it, and the crime has gotten worse since Bruce started being Batman.”
Everyone knows that the Bruce Wayne/Batman package comes with a lot of trauma. It’s commonly understood that this trauma stems from the murder of his parents. It’s what leads to him becoming Batman.
Pattinson, however, chooses to dig deeper into this trauma. He said, “He’s created his intricate construction for years and years and years, which has culminated in this Batman persona. But it’s not like a healthy thing he’s done. The 35-year-old compares Wayne’s state, calling it, “Almost like a drug addiction.”
Pattinson continues, “I think that makes it a lot sadder. Like, it’s a sad movie. It’s kind of about him trying to find some element of hope, in himself, and not just the city.” The actor called DC an “emo comic,” saying, “There’s a nihilistic side to it. Even the artwork is really, really different. So, hopefully, there are a lot of sad people in the world.”
As discussed on Parlia, DC storylines are generally edgier than Marvel. For this reason, DC stories can be more compelling for readers and movie watchers. These darker storylines force the viewer to face discomfort and realities that challenge their views.
For example, The Dark Knight depicts how the Riddler plunges Gotham City into utter chaos to prove his theory that all of humanity is only one bad day away from being totally ruthless. This forces law enforcement, citizens, and even Batman to make hard choices. There’s hardly a happy ending and this forces the viewer to consider themselves and the nature of evil.
Whether the theme of “DC is darker than Marvel” holds true in the comic books is a bit more complicated. The Richest reports that both universes have existed for many decades and both feature thousands of characters. The two companies have dark characters and dark storylines. They also both have lighter stories. It’s not easy to pick which one is darker than the other, according to some.
The Batman premieres in theaters on March 2, 2022.