It’s 2020, and what once seemed like a fever dream is now an undeniable part of the pop cultural landscape: superheroes are big business. Comic conventions, once home to a small but dedicated subculture, now regularly offer first looks at future blockbusters. But because it’s 2020, holding a convention in the manner that they’ve been held in the past is temporarily impossible.
Cue a slew of virtual conventions, including a 2-part event called DC FanDome, the first half of which recently concluded. The event brought with it a number of trailers for upcoming projects, some of them on the verge of release and others based largely around concept art. And it included a teaser trailer for arguably the event’s most-anticipated film, The Batman.
The latest actor to play Bruce Wayne on screen is Robert Pattinson; the film’s director is Matt Reeves, whose earlier work includes Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and Cloverfield. The trailer also prominently features Jeffrey Wright; plenty of Jeffrey Wright screen time is rarely a bad thing.
With a release date of October 21, 2021, The Batman offers a look at the vigilante early in his career. How Reeves’s approach will differ from, say, that of Christopher Nolan remains to be seen. But Pattinson’s look for the character — which conjured memories of The Crow for many viewers of a certain age — does seem unique among onscreen Batmen.
Meet your guide
More Like This
If you are craving a different cinematic Batman, Polygon’s Michael McWhertor notes that both Ben Affleck and Michael Keaton will reprise their takes on the character for a film featuring the Flash and set for release in 2022. Crisis on Infinite Batmen, anyone?
Subscribe here for our free daily newsletter.
