At DC FanDome 2021, Warner Bros. dropped the long-awaited second trailer for the upcoming The Batman, starring Robert Pattinson as the titular caped crusader. Director Matt Reeves offered excited audiences the same trailer in greater definition.
Reeves linked to the trailer on social media, telling fans, "Watch the 4k trailer for [The Batman] on film now, the way it will be shown in theaters…"
[EMBED_VIMEO]https://vimeo.com/633805668[/EMBED_VIMEO]
The Batman's second trailer featured what appeared to be the film's central antagonist, The Riddler, or at least, someone who was suspected by the Gotham City Police Department to be the quiz-loving supervillain. The trailer also gave audiences a better look at just how much punishment the new Dark Knight will take, with one brief scene showing the superhero endure dozens of bullets at point-blank range.
But the titular Batman wasn't the only thing the trailer had in store for viewers. The trailer also showcased some of the film's many villains, or those like them, like Selina Kyle. Also known as the thief-turned-hero Catwoman, Kyle's uncertain role was also teased in the trailer. Catwoman is being played by Zoë Kravitz, who previously explained the new approach to the character. "I've read some of the comics now, but I wasn't a comic head or anything," Kravitz said. "I also tried to think about [the role] not as Catwoman, but as a woman, how does this make me feel? How are we approaching this and how are we making sure we're not fetishizing or creating a stereotype? I knew it needed to be a real person."
Alongside her is Oswald Cobblepot, also known as The Penguin. The Batman will introduce Colin Farrell to the role, who appeared in the trailer, though some have noted the actor was nearly unrecognizeable in costume. Though The Batman has yet to be released, Farrell's Penguin is already being considered for a spinoff project. It's unknown if this would be a show or film, but the project, if negotiations are finalized, will explore the villain's rise to power in Gotham's criminal underworld. Reeves and The Batman producer Dylan Clarke are reportedly attached as executive producers, with Lauren LeFranc penning the script.
Directed and co-written by Matt Reeves, The Batman was in development for a long time-- since as far back as 2014. The project saw rewrite after rewrite until actor Ben Affleck, who played the DCEU's Batman, left the role and the project. Reeves was eventually brought on, along with Pattinson and Kravitz, though that did not signal the end of The Batman's troubles. After a lengthy delay, The Batman is finally ready to hit screens and is scheduled to premiere on March 4, 2022.