Like nearly every comic book movie in development at this moment, there isn’t exactly a ton of confirmed information regarding Matt Reeves’ The Batman floating around on the Internet. Thanks in large part due to Robert Pattinson’s casting as Bruce Wayne though, we know that the film will focus on a younger, less experienced version of the character. As for the villains, various sources have heard that Reeves is planning on introducing multiple members of Bats’ infamous rogues gallery, but exactly who and how many is anyone’s guess.
If a new report is to be believed though, we now know which well-celebrated comic book story arc Reeves will be drawing inspiration from, which also tells us which villains are likely to pop up. WGTC has previously placed the Riddler, the Penguin, Firefly, Two-Face, the Mad Hatter and Catwoman as the film’s central antagonists, but now it’s sounding like even more evildoers could appear as well.
According to Cosmic Book News – so, as always, take this with a grain of salt – The Batman will be based around Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale’s The Long Halloween comic book arc. Their source has informed them that while the film will be a loose adaptation mapped over an original story, the writer-director is pulling from its large team of enemies to pit against Pattison’s fresh-faced version of the Dark Knight.
On top of the previously mentioned six villains, The Long Halloween also includes Joker, Calendar Man, Poison Ivy, Solomon Grundy and Scarecrow, and Cosmic Book News says any or all of these characters could pop up for a scene or two in addition to the aforementioned six.
The site also confirms that Pattinson’s Batman will serve as a soft reboot on Ben Affleck’s DCEU character, sharing a small amount of comparable aspects but shedding most others. They even suggest the new Batsuit could include a cowl with giant ears, the exact opposite of Affleck’s smaller, more compact helmet.
The Batman is expected to start shooting early next year, and is currently scheduled to hit cinemas on June 25th, 2021. Be sure to stay tuned as more information will eventually come to light as production draws closer.
