Warner Bros. Pictures’ The Batman has been given a new release date.
The movie – a reboot of the live-action Batman series with Robert Pattinson in the title role – was due to arrive in cinemas in June 2021, then in October 2021, but will now arrive in March 2022.
This latest shift in dates is due to Warner Bros. Pictures reorganising its release schedule in the wake of COVID-19. Various forthcoming Warner Bros. movies have changed their original release dates (Dune, The Matrix 4 etc), and The Batman is one of them.
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Filming The Batman in the wake of COVID-19
On January 28th director Matt Reeves took to Twitter to announce that production had commenced on the feature. Principal photography began on The Batman in London, with scenes shot close to the Thames.
In mid-February the production team moved to Scotland to continue filming in Glasgow. Scenes were shot at the Glasgow Necropolis – a Victorian cemetery in the city.
To coincide with the Glasgow shoot – when the production team were wary of press leaks – Matt Reeves released a short video on Twitter to offer a glimpse of Pattinson’s Batman. This video showcased some test footage of the actor in the Bat-suit.
Two weeks later, on March 4th, Reeves released photos of Batman stood next to the new-look Batmobile. Once again, these images came via the director’s Twitter account.
Following the Glasgow shoot, Warner Bros. Pictures initially planned to film in Liverpool on Monday March 16th, but production was suspended as of March 14th as the studio reacted to the ever-changing situation regarding the global pandemic.
In a statement on March 14th (via Deadline), the studio said: “Warner Bros. Pictures feature production of The Batman will be on a two-week hiatus starting today. The studio will continue to monitor the situation closely.”
At the time, The Batman was initially put on hold for two weeks and joined various paused productions, from big budget features such as Jurassic World: Dominion to long-running television shows including Stranger Things. On March 25th, when asked by a fan about the production hiatus, The Batman director Matt Reeves shared this on Twitter: “Yes, we have shut down till it is safe for us all to resume… Everyone safe for the moment, thank you for asking, and stay safe too…”
What was made clear at the time was that no one involved with The Batman had tested positive for the virus. Closing the production down was a precautionary measure to help stop the spread.
According to Liverpool Business News Daily, the Liverpool Film Office had been working with the production team for quite some time to secure the right locations. Roads affected by the shoot were to include William Brown Street, Lime Street, Regent Road, Commutation Road and Rendel Street in the Wirral.
Prior to the production hiatus, Lynn Saunders, the Head of Liverpool Film Office, said: “Productions taking over our city region streets is a common sight, and we are delighted that after months of discussions, this feature film is finally gearing up to shoot here. To secure filming of this nature is always a fantastic coup, and we always love seeing the city on the silver screen.”
In August, while production was still on hiatus, director Matt Reeves appeared on DC FanDome to offer some insights into the new movie. He described the film as “a detective story, a point-of-view story, a mystery”, before going on to speak very enthusiastically about the picture.
In terms of production, The Batman had shot for two months in the UK before the shoot was closed down. But despite the short shoot, Reeves was able to unveil some footage of the film.
Production then restarted in September, picking up where it left off in the UK, but it was put on another short hiatus only days later, when Robert Pattinson tested positive for COVID-19.
Following the second (brief) pause, Pattinson was cleared for work and production resumed.
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Who are the cast of The Batman?
Robert Pattinson will be playing the role of Bruce Wayne/Batman, opposite Zoë Kravitz as Catwoman, Paul Dano as the Riddler, Colin Farrell as the Penguin, and John Turturro as Carmine Falcone. Jeffrey Wright is taking on the part of Commissioner Gordon, while Andy Serkis is Bruce Wayne’s butler, Alfred Pennyworth.
Jayme Lawson, Peter Sarsgaard and Charlie and Max Carver have been cast in undisclosed roles.
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For more information on the Batman movie series, be sure to take a look through I’ll Get Drive-Thru. Alternatively check out one of the recommended reads below.
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I'll Get Drive-Thru 
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