This week, production finally began on The Batman, offering fans their first impression of what we can expect in Matt Reeves’ upcoming reboot of the Dark Knight’s corner of the DC universe. What we’ve seen of filming so far makes clear that the director is currently shooting scenes set on the streets of Gotham, which will be brought to life by the UK in the film.
These set pics and accompanying video, for example, were snapped by a local fan and show us a sequence involving the fine men and women of Gotham’s Police Department plowing through the streets, no doubt racing to a crime scene. In the set footage, meanwhile, which you can see in the tweet below, a GCPD cop car is seen driving into shot, with a man on a motorcycle standing by ready to follow it.
Pay close attention to that guy on the bike, too, as pics taken from another angle appear to reveal that it’s none other than Robert Pattinson. In those photos, the figure’s wearing a mask over the lower half of their face, but Pattinson’s distinct features are still clear. This may help us work out the context of this scene, too. Presumably, this is a pre-Batman Bruce Wayne, stalking the police so he can secretly lend a hand.
— VENGEANCE🦇 (@BatSource1) January 6, 2020
Other set pics have showcased Colin Farrell as a surprisingly blonde Penguin, while fans have also noticed that the vehicles used in this shoot seem to date from the 1990s, supporting all those reports pointing to The Batman being set in that decade. It’s not a prequel to the Ben Affleck DCEU films, though. Instead, it’s believed Pattinson’s Bats occupies his own continuity.
Soon, we should get our first looks at the likes of Catwoman, Riddler and Jim Gordon, too. And hopefully, Warner Bros. will give us an official shot of Pattinson in the Batsuit as well. With any luck, that’ll come later this year, before The Batman hits theaters in June 2021.