The Batman is one of the most anticipated upcoming releases of next year. Fans are excited to see Robert Pattinson’s take on the Dark Knight, and if recent trailers are any indication, the actor’s take on the role will be gritty and filled with rage.
The movie features quite a few of Batman’s enemies – Catwoman, Penguin, The Riddler, and mob boss Carmine Falcone are all set to make an appearance. Now we’re getting reports that The Joker and The Mad Hatter were at one point going to appear in the movie as well.
Both villains were apparently cut from the movie but they’ll both apparently be in the sequel, according to the Giant Freakin’ Robot report on the movie’s new developments. The original plan was for The Joker to show up at the end of the movie and set up a confrontation for the sequel.
Because there are already so many villains and characters in The Batman, the move makes sense. Cramming so many villains into a movie would dilute their presence, and The Joker is such a marquee character that he deserves to be the main villain in a Batman movie.
That report also posited that Pattinson wants more creative control in the sequel, pushing for it to be an R-rated movie. He also reportedly wants the movie to be an adaption of the Long Halloween storyline.
That story follows Batman early in his crime-fighting career as he tries to stop a mad killer who murders people every holiday. Mad Hatter, Poison Ivy, Scarecrow, and The Joker all make appearances in Long Halloween.
It’s going to be interesting to see what villains get teased at the end of The Batman. Fortunately, there are a lot to choose from.
The Batman flies into theaters on March 4, 2022, with Zoe Kravitz as Catwoman, Paul Dano as The Riddler, Jeffrey Wright as James Gordon, Andy Serkis as Alfred, and John Turturro as Carmine Falcone.
