The Batman is still set to hit its fall 2021 release date in spite of the continuing lockdowns in response to the global COVID-19 pandemic, as more and more details of the upcoming Matt Reeves film are revealed. The latest comes from motion capture legend Andy Serkis, who’s been making the rounds talking to numerous press outlets about the film.
Serkis told LADbible that the movie would double down on a defining feature of Batman’s character and also admitted that it’s going to be more dark and intense than what’s come from DC before.
“I would say that’s not far from the truth,” the actor said. “It’s very much about the emotional connection between Alfred and Bruce. That’s really at the centre of it. And it is a really exquisite script that Matt has written.”
Serkis, of course, refers to Bruce Wayne’s butler Alfred Pennyworth, who first appeared in 1943’s Batman #16. His long history with the character has seen him loyally support the Caped Crusader through each of his endeavors, be they related to his work as Batman or the head of Wayne Enterprises. He’s had a distinguished role in nearly all Dark Knight adaptations, but Serkis alluded to his interpretation diverging from the character’s norm, explaining he doesn’t want to replicate the performances seen from the Alfreds of yesteryear:
“[Michael Caine] was fantastic. His Alfred was legendary, I couldn’t even begin to go there, really. You find it for yourself. It’s like playing these iconic roles in Shakespeare, you go back, you revisit them and you have to make it your own, and see what it is about he character that connects with you and your personal venn diagram,”
The actor somewhat disappointingly didn’t explicitly reveal just how he intends to distinguish his performance as Batman’s trusted partner in crime (fighting), but with reports estimating only a quarter of the film to have been shot before production temporarily halted in light of the pandemic, he’ll have a lot of time to figure it out.
The point at which filming will resume has yet to be announced despite other businesses slowly reopening around the country, but The Batman is still scheduled to release in theaters internationally on October 1st, 2021.