Fans of the caped crusader will have to be patient as they wait to see the first attempt
at a Batman movie in a post-Ben Affleck universe.
Warner Bros. announced on April 20 that it has postponed the release of The Batman, citing
the continued impact of the coronavirus pandemic as reason for the delay.
The Batman is the first standalone Batman film since Christopher Nolan wrapped his Christian
Bale-led Dark Knight trilogy in 2012. The film stars Robert Pattinson in the title role,
taking over from Affleck, who appeared as Batman in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
and Justice League. The first solo Batman film in almost a decade was scheduled to drop
in the heat of next year's blockbuster season, on June 25, 2021. Then, well… this happened:
"Now, to growing concerns about the deadly coronavirus officially hitting the U.S."
As has been the case with so many other TV, movie, and stage productions, the global fight
against the coronavirus has delayed production on The Batman. This has, in turn, set the
film back on the road to release; The Batman is now scheduled to launch on October 1, 2021.
"Happy Hallowee-ee-een!"
The team behind The Batman began production on the movie in London in January. Production
went on what was initially a two-week hiatus in mid-March, when the impact of the coronavirus
was first becoming clear. The cast and crew have not yet resumed production, as the U.K.
along with the rest of the world continues to battle the virus.
Fans seem pretty upset which is funny, considering how lukewarm the initial response to the casting
of Robert Pattinson seemed to be. If you'll recall, when details of The Batman made their
way to the press, the fan reaction was swift and largely negative. Batman fanboys bristled
at the idea of the former Twilight star donning the helm of Bruce Wayne's alter-ego.
"Beautiful, isn't it? This is the skin of a killer, Bella."
Reaction stayed mixed even after director Matt Reeves shared Pattinson's screen test
in the newly built Batsuit.
Some twitter users felt that Batman hasn't had a decent-looking Batsuit in a while R.
Patz's version most definitely included. Others countered these claims, admitting that they
liked the look and were actually pretty excited.
Regardless of where you fell when it comes to "The Battison," you'll have to delay your
final judgement, as the movie is still well over a year away from rolling out. It's definitely
nerve-racking to think about the potential consequences of delaying The Batman from its
prime summer blockbuster release date to an October launch, but on the flip side, perhaps
extra time to build excitement will work in the film's favor. A few more months to think
about Pattinson portraying Bruce Wayne in what Reeves has described as a thrilling,
emotional, noir-inspired take on the material from Batman's point of view could be exactly
what fans on the fence need to go all in on The Batman.
Speaking of fans, they had plenty to say about The Batman being delayed from late June to
early to the middle of autumn in 2021. As predicted, some looked on the bright side
of the push-back, looking to the success of another DC-made comic book movie that premiered
in October to predict a similar triumph for The Batman.
Twitter user CinematicBanter wrote:
"Given how well Joker did in [its] October release date slot, seems like a no-brainer
to release The Batman in that same month."
Some fans, like user henrycavills no relation, we assume were totally distraught over the
news, writing,
"All I want is to see Rob as Batman, but now I have to wait even longer. This is my own
personal hell."
Poor bat-fans… this delay has got to hurt.
"Oh, yeah… something is definitely bleeding."
Still, other fans were a bit more reasonable, accepting and even rationalizing the delay.
A poster by the name of TheBCEU noted that the delay was both inevitable and ultimately
a good thing: not only are fans are getting another dark comic book movie event to help
close out next year, the movie will also be closer to awards season, and potentially in
a better position to score some prizes if the material proves worth. Like the fan tweeted,
"The ONLY issue here is patience."
The Batman will open in theaters on October 1, 2021.
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