Official budgetary figures for The Batman haven’t yet been disclosed, but a number of Hollywood insiders and analysts have put it at around the $100 million mark, which if true, would be very low for a feature-length blockbuster starring the comic book icon.
In fact, that would make it the cheapest live-action movie focusing the Caped Crusader since Tim Burton’s $80 million Batman Returns 30 years ago. Although, there’s no word on if those preliminary figures have taken the effects of the Coronavirus pandemic into the equation, because very few projects were hit harder than Matt Reeves and Robert Pattinson’s reboot.
Action was called for the first time in January 2020 with the second unit shooting footage in London and Glasgow, and Reeves didn’t wrap until March of this year. During that time, shooting was shut down for close to six months due to the onset of COVID-19, and when cameras did start rolling again at the beginning of September, The Batman was almost immediately halted once more after the leading man tested positive.
Given the sizeable delays, costs brought on by the required health and safety protocols and the expense of quarantining the entire cast and crew in their own contained bubble, it would be safe to assume that the budget may have risen fairly significantly. However, a new leak from Reddit claims that it’s the extensive stunt work that’s caused the increase, something Warner Bros. are said to not be too happy about.
Of course, there’s no verification or corroboration on the story, and it’s about as vague as it gets, but if the purported tale turns out to be true, then at least we’ll be safe in the knowledge that all of the rumored darkness in The Batman is going to be offset by some explosive action.
Published: Jun 13, 2021 11:24 am