Big news for Batman fans broke this weekend as DC shared the first trailer for the upcoming movie The Batman, staring at the titular role of Robert Pattinson. The teaser was seen as part of The Batman panel with producer Matt Reeves at DC’s online event FanDome on August 22.
The film appears to be dark, gritty, and gruesome from the trailer’s looks, with much of the preview focused on a violent crime scene with scribbled taunts to Batman and blood splattering on the walls. Fans of Westworld will recognize Jeffrey Wright as Commissioner Gordon for his role as Bernard, and other characters, including Zoe Kravtiz as Catwoman and John, can also be seen shortly.
Most of the story introduced in the trailer appears to revolve around The Riddler, played by Paul Dano, who has been depicted most frequently in previous Batman stories as a quirky mystery lover who is desperate for Batman’s attention. But Riddler’s version in this film looks considerably darker in tone, staging brutal murders with him and taunting Batman to figure out his identity.
And as for the Batman himself, maybe the trailer’s greatest surprise isn’t the latest iteration of the original dark Batman outfit or the nice turbo-charged Batmobile, but the Bruce Wayne take on Pattinson’s. Unlike the polished and charming playboy of Christian Bale from the Dark Knight trilogy, this iteration of Wayne looks like a mess, unkempt and shaggy, remembering the emo period we all went through.
Other names we can expect to see in the movie include Colin Farrel as classic Batman villain The Penguin, Andy Serkis as Bruce’s loyal butler Alfred Pennyworth, Peter Sarsgaard as Gotham District Attorney Gil Colson, and Jayme Lawson as Gotham City mayoral candidate Bella Reál. There have been rumors swirling around since the post-credits scene of Justice League that fan-favorite villain Deathstroke may make an appearance as well, but there’s no confirmation of this so far.
