After last year’s The Batman trailer gave fans very short glimpses of the film, the new main trailer for the DC Entertainment/Warner Bros. Pictures upcoming movie provides a better indication of the new take on the world of Gotham and its caped crusader. And director Matthew Reeves does it one better by sharing the 4K version on his social media. Check out the details of freshly released The Batman main trailer below.
DC Fandome The Batman behind the scenes looks
Before the trailer itself was shown, some snippets of the production were revealed. Interviews of director Matt Reeves and the cast including Robert Pattinson, Zoë Kravitz, and Jeffrey Wright were shown, narrating the rationale behind the story and design sense behind the upcoming film. Director Matt Reeves specifically mentions Batman: Year One as the main inspiration of the story and aesthetics. Batman: Year One is a multi-issue storyline originally published in Batman #404–407 (February to May, 1987). It covers major events during the first year of Bruce Wayne developing and adopting the guise of the Batman in his war against the criminal underworld of Gotham. Aside from Batman himself, Year One further developed James Gordon and Selina Kyle (Catwoman), giving them expanded origins and how their relationship with the caped crimefighter developed. Written by Frank Miller and with art by David Mazzucchelli, Batman: Year One is credited, along with Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, for bringing back Batman and his world into a grittier and more violent depiction. One major difference with The Batman film is that it is actually set in the second year of Batman’s vigilante career. After the behind-the-scenes look at the production, Reeves, Pattinson, and Kravitz appear in a video conference. The director and actors shared their experiences and thoughts about the movie. There are some anecdotes about how Pattinson was chosen for the role and how their first costume fittings had gone. Apparently, Pattinson had to wear another former Batman actor’s previous costume: Val Kilmer’s from Batman Forever. Pattinson also stated that the depiction of Bruce Wayne and Batman is not as distinct in his version: This is an oddity, as the inspiration for the film Batman: Year One had Bruce Wayne already acting as a hedonist in order to deflect suspicion. As The Batman is set in the apparent second year of this Dark Knight Detective’s activities, it would seem inconsistent, particularly with respect to interacting with James Gordon and Selina Kyle in both his identities.
New details revealed in The Batman main trailer
The trailer begins with a scene in a diner. As the Gotham PD swarm to arrest a patron, it turns out to be the suspected Riddler terrorizing Gotham as a serial killer that leaves clues. The shot pans to the suspect’s coffee mug displaying the Riddler’s familiar question mark sign. This leads to a voiceover, referring to Batman’s methods and the iconic Bat-signal: This comes as James Gordon (Jeffrey Wright) lights up the beacon in the skyline of Gotham. And with that, the new look and feel of The Batman truly begins in earnest. This new The Batman main trailer does use some previous scenes from last year, but there are newer and meatier scenes included. Highlights of the new The Batman main trailer include:
A better look at the Gotham City locations, revealing the architecture and atmosphere. It has both a grim and grittier depiction than prior movies, with similarities to the Joker film which starred Joaquin Phoenix. More Batman fight scenes. The previous trailer had only one major confrontation, with Batman beating one member of a gang into the ground. The new trailer has multiple scenes of the masked vigilante fighting in different areas, including against Catwoman and Batman using a baseball bat. One particularly eye-catching scene is Batman taking assault rifle gunfire point blank in a dark hallway. The look and feel of it is reminiscent of Darth Vader’s climactic battle against Rebel Soldiers in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016). But this is not surprising, as The Batman’s cinematographer Greig Fraser worked on that film as well. More details about the Riddler. The new trailer includes further elements of how the Riddler operates, with the clues he leaves behind and what his costume looks like. It has been stated this Riddler takes inspiration from the real world Zodiac killer, including wearing glasses over his mask. Andy Serkis’s Alfred Pennyworth. The new trailer finally gives a clear picture of what Andy Serkis’s version of Bruce Wayne’s faithful butler and ally, Alfred. It is interesting to note that Serkis is the first film version of Alfred to have facial hair, which is something most versions of the character usually sports in the comics and in other media. Colin Farrell’s Oswald Cobblepot/The Penguin. The first trailer had a very brief shot of the Gotham criminal boss Oswald Cobblepot aka The Penguin. This new trailer has more scenes with Cobblepot, including a climactic and fiery car chase that also shows the new Bat-mobile.
Overall, this new The Batman trailer provides a clearer idea of the film’s world and the raw anger Pattinson’s version of the superhero will display.
Matt Reeves shares 4K version
But it does not end there. Matt Reeves went the extra mile for DCEU fans by sharing the HD 4K version of the film’s trailer. Although the DC Fandome trailers have been released on the official Warner Bros. YouTube channel, the full 4K version of The Batman trailer has not been added yet. Reeves posted the link to the Vimeo upload of the 4K trailer on his Twitter account:
— Matt Reeves (@mattreevesLA) October 16, 2021 The director notes that this will be the version that will be shown in theaters. Although some parts of the world have begun opening up their theaters, there are still others that will not be so lucky for the foreseeable future until the pandemic subsides. Thus, this 4K trailer is the closest fans in these locations will get to see of the theatrical trailer. For these fans, the high definition details in the 4K version are certainly a welcome treat. Directed by Matt Reeves, The Batman stars Robert Pattinson (Bruce Wayne/The Batman), Zoë Kravitz (Selina Kyle/Catwoman), Paul Dano (Edward Nashton/The Riddler), Jeffrey Wright (James Gordon), John Turturro (Carmine Falcone), Peter Sarsgaard (Gil Colson), Andy Serkis (Alfred Pennyworth), and Colin Farrell (Oswald Cobblepot/The Penguin). Also starring Jayme Lawson (Gotham mayoral candidate Bella Reál), Barry Keoghan (Stanley Merkel), and Alex Ferns (Peter Savage). The DCEU superhero film will be heading to a theaters-only release on March 4, 2022.
