For decades, we’ve grown up with the stories of Bruce Wayne. The billionaire playboy has been the inspiration for many a young child’s imagination. Few people know that the man behind the mask is named after a drink rather than a car, but that’s a secret that will keep.
From the very beginning, director Tim Burton has always brought a sense of fun and whimsy to the dark Knight. That was most strikingly evident in his 1989 adaptation of the Batman character, which introduced us to a darker, grittier side of the billionaire’s life. Since then, Christian Bale has carried on where Tim left off, and now it looks like we have yet another version of Batman to look forward to.
Recently, director Robert Pattinson spoke about the upcoming film, teasing an upcoming retcon for the Dark Knight and providing some new intel about the character (which, oddly, he refers to as “The Batman”).
The Twilight Saga star will reprise his role as the caped crusader in an upcoming film titled The Batman. Coincidentally enough, this will be the third time Pattinson has played a character named Batman, following 2010’s adaptation of Deathly Hallows, which was a direct sequel to Batman Begins, and 2012’s Burnt—which, as you may have guessed, is the name of the villain in the upcoming The Batman film as well.
It has been reported that director’s cuts of Burnt and The Grand Tour, along with the Deathly Hallows part 2 re-release, will be available to digitally download from October 23rd. The following piece is an excerpt from our recent interview with The Twilight Saga star about his upcoming film The Batman, as well as the legacy of the Dark Knight he is continuing.
The Evolution of Batman
In the first two films of the Dark Knight trilogy, Christian Bale’s Batman set the standard for what a Batman movie should be. While the third instalment of the series, The Dark Knight Rises, failed to live up to audiences’ high expectations, it still managed to be a memorable movie in its own right. The year is now 2016, and it’s been seven years since The Dark Knight last graced the big screen. What has changed in the meantime?
The first thing that comes to mind is the suit. As we’ve established, Batman does not wear a mask to hide his identity; rather, it’s a symbol of his alter ego. Christian Bale’s Batman was unmistakably the character that Tim Burton and Chris Nolan built upon. In the first two films, the actor donned a black suit with a cape, which is still considered one of the most iconic looks of the character. Naturally, people are starting to ask if Bale will ever don the suit one more time.
The second thing that’s changed is the character of Alfred. In The Dark Knight, Batman’s butler assisted the detective in his detective work. Since then, the character has taken on a more central role in the story. Alfred supports Bruce Wayne’s bid for self-redemption in The Dark Knight Rises, while also serving as the voice of reason in Batman 2016. When you strip away all the elements that have remained the same over the years, it’s clear that something new is on the horizon for fans of the Dark Knight.
Rising From The Ashes
The Dark Knight was released in 2004, which was just a few years after the September 11th terrorist attacks. As a result, there were several references to that tragic event scattered throughout the movie. This was particularly potent as The Dark Knight was released right before the U.S. elections that year, which President George W. Bush won in a landslide. The Dark Knight may have been an adaptation of the comic book character, but it was also a political parable.
It’s been 15 years since The Dark Knight, and since then, the world has changed dramatically. Terrorist attacks have become commonplace. The economy is on the rebound, yet millions of people still struggle to make ends meet. These are all questions that the upcoming The Batman will attempt to answer.
The third Batman film will centre around an ageing Bruce Wayne, who finds himself falling victim to the pressures of ageism. Director Matt Reeves has revealed that the movie will once again revolve around a conflict between the superhero and the Joker, who will attempt to bring down the old man once and for all. It will be intriguing to see how the Batman mythos has evolved over the past 15 years, and whether or not Reeves’ vision manages to live up to our previous expectations. This is definitely one to watch out for.