The Batman: Everything We Know About Matt Reeves' Upcoming DC Film

A good Batman story never goes out of style and while the project Ben Affleck had been circling once upon a time is now long dead, a new one has stepped up to take its place. Director Matt Reeves (Cloverfield, War for the Planet of the Apes) has joined forces with Robert Pattinson (Twilight) for a brand new take on the Dark Knight, due out next year.

Though there's still over a year's worth of waiting to do for the new movie, plenty of information has been made available to us thanks to Reeves' active presence on social media and various interviews given by the cast. We now know exactly who will star as major Gotham City characters like The Penguin, Catwoman, and The Riddler. We've also gotten a good look at Pattinson's Batsuit and all-new Batmobile. We've even been given some clues as to what we can expect from the story and, suffice to say, it sounds like something completely and totally new for the modern era of Batman films.

Matt Reeves will be presenting a panel at DC's online convention, DC FanDome, on Saturday, August 22. The panel will begin at 5:30 PM PT/8:30 PM ET and be free to watch. The description for the panel promises "a surprise or two," meaning we'll likely be getting more information very soon.

Originally scheduled to hit theaters in June of 2021, COVID-19 related production shutdowns have pushed the release date back to October 1, 2021.

Robert Pattinson as Bruce Wayne/Batman

Colin Farrell as Oswald Cobblepot/The Penguin

Zoe Kravitz as Selina Kyle/Catwoman

Paul Dano as Edward Nygma/The Riddler

Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth

Jeffery Wright as Commissioner James Gordon

Not much is known about the specific plot details of the new film, but director Matt Reeves has given some hints in interviews. Namely, he's confirmed that the story will place more emphasis on Batman as the world's greatest detective than fans have seen before.

Though this doesn't mean the movie will directly adapt the Year Two storyline from the comics, Matt Reeves has been open about the relative timeline the movie will work in, saying it will cover the second year of Bruce's time as Batman.

Reeves took to Twitter to share a camera test of Pattinson in costume, showcasing a brand new Bat Suit.

Reeves also shared photos of the new Batmobile, which looks like it draws inspiration from classic muscle cars more than high tech military vehicles.

Before Paul Dano was confirmed for the role of Eddie Nygma, comedian Jonah Hill was reportedly in the running. He dropped out of the running for reasons unknown.

In an interview, Pattinson explained that his take on the Dark Knight is more akin to the feeling and vibe of a concert than a gothic drama, relating Bruce Wayne to the band The Pixies as an example. We're not totally sure what that means, but we can't wait to find out.

Personal issues made filming features like Batman vs Superman and Justice League challenging for Ben Affleck, who recently opened up about why he abandoned his own solo Batman project. Affleck will obviously not participate in this film, which means it likely will not connect to the greater shared universe of the DCEU. But whether or not that means it will be as disconnected from the bigger DC picture like Joker was last year remains to be seen.

Andy Serkis recently explained in an interview that Alfred and Bruce's emotional connection will be a foundational part of the film, and that his performance is not based off any of the Alfreds who came before him.