Last week, we got some bad news when Warner Bros. pushed back almost all of their upcoming DC movies, including The Batman, which is now set to be with us in March 2022. That’s a shame, to be sure, but at least we know it’s coming and will be the start of a whole new trilogy. Or maybe not.
Shortly after the news of the delay arrived, controversial YouTube personality Doomcock claimed that production on The Batman is in serious trouble, with star Robert Pattinson and director Matt Reeves having a big falling out. According to the YouTuber, the news of Pattinson getting COVID-19 was a cover and Reeves had actually demanded that the actor take some time to bulk up a bit, after he had failed to show up to set in proper shape. Not only that, but the tensions between them are apparently so bad, that the planned sequels are now reportedly in jeopardy.
Of course, a lot of people initially cast doubt on the claims, but this week, another source has backed the story up. Bounding Into Comics is reporting that director Gary J. Tunnicliffe, who’s perhaps best known for helming Hellraiser: Judgment, as well doing the makeup effects for countless horror movies over the years, spoke to Midnight’s Edge and opened up about the matter, saying:
“And then of course I heard from somebody else that the rumor was that Matt Reeves was visibly shocked at the size of Robert Pattinson and he was worried that the stunt people were considerably larger than him. So then obviously I looked into it and the other rumors I had saw kind of circulating were that there had been an issue about working out and kind of bulking up.”
So, this is now two different sources claiming mostly the same thing. And obviously, Tunnicliffe is pretty reputable, given that he’s been in the industry for a very, very long time and no doubt has tons of contacts. That’s not to say that The Batman is completely doomed, but there certainly appears to be trouble on set.
For all we know, though, Pattinson could’ve gotten his act together over the last few weeks and decided to bulk up to the appropriate size, and all is running smoothly now. Or, perhaps him and Reeves have come to a happy medium that works for them both.
In any case, The Batman is continuing to shoot over in the UK – as evidenced by all the recent set photos – and we can only hope that these behind the scenes struggles don’t impact it too much.
