We always knew that Matt Reeves‘ upcoming The Batman would be something different than what we have seen before. When the first trailer dropped at DC FanDome back in August that feeling was confirmed. The film was more akin to something like Se7en or Zodiac than Batman and Robin. Thank god.
Now, the film’s production is returning to something familiar. Chicago.
Exterior scenes for The Batman will be filmed here next month (reportedly October 16, 17, 18, 24 and 25). The action will take place mostly in the Loop area, according to the Chicago Film Office. It’s unclear whether the cast will be here or if the production is picking up just plates being shot.
Filming was allowed to resume in Illinois in June with new safety guidelines after a months-long shutdown because of the pandemic. FX’s Fargo, which premiered Sunday, finished its remaining scenes here this month.
Our sister pub, Reel Chicago, reported that Chicago Fire, Chicago P.D. begin filming October 7 and Chicago Med has already started filming.
The Batman crew is currently in a bubble at Pinewood Studios in the U.K. After production was shut down in March due to the pandemic, filming was taken onto stages when it resumed.
Also, with star Robert Pattinson having tested positive for the virus just three weeks ago, it seems doubtful that he will make the trip. But who knows.
Chicago has long provided a backdrop for Batman films. Some scenes for 2005′s Batman Begins were shot here. Much of the action of 2008′s The Dark Knight unfolded here. Chicago was again transformed into Gotham City for 2016′s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
The CW’s Batwoman also used Chicago for exterior scenes first during the Arrowverse Crossover Event – Elseworlds, then the actual series and finally, another crossover, Crisis on Infinite Earths.
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Robert Pattinson Talks Playing Batman
It’s hard to think of Robert Pattinson as anything other than vampire Edward Cullen (who knew he was born in Chicago in 1901?) in the Twilight series. However, Pattinson has proven, and continues to prove himself to be an outstanding actor. All one has to do is watch his performance in last year’s The Lighthouse and the current The Devil All The Time on Netflix.
Recently, Pattinson spoke with Total Film Magazine and said he actually enjoys the pressure and anxiety that comes with playing Batman and knowing he could “mess it up.”
“There’s a slightly different feeling when you know loads and loads of people are going to watch something you’re working on,” he told Total Film Magazine (via Digital Spy), comparing The Batman to Twilight. “I weirdly enjoyed it during Twilight, the idea that you can mess it up. I guess I felt confident. I wanted to be on the big stage.”
Plot details are under wraps for now, but the film is rumored to be a loose adaptation of the popular DC Comics Batman story The Long Halloween.
Starring alongside Pattinson as Gotham’s famous and infamous cast of characters are Zoë Kravitz (“Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald,” “Mad Max: Fury Road”) as Selina Kyle; Paul Dano (“Love & Mercy,” “12 Years a Slave”) as Edward Nashton; Jeffrey Wright (the “Hunger Games” films) as the GCPD’s James Gordon; John Turturro (the “Transformers” films) as Carmine Falcone; Peter Sarsgaard (“The Magnificent Seven,” “Black Mass”) as Gotham D.A. Gil Colson; Jayme Lawson (“Farewell Amor”) as mayoral candidate Bella Reál; with Andy Serkis (the “Planet of the Apes” films, “Black Panther”) as Alfred; and Colin Farrell (“Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” “Dumbo”) as Oswald Cobblepot.
Reeves and Dylan Clark (the “Planet of the Apes” films) are producing the film, with Simon Emanuel, Michael E. Uslan, Walter Hamada and Chantal Nong Vo serving as executive producers. Reeves’ behind-the-scenes creative team includes Oscar-nominated director of photography Greig Fraser (“Lion,” upcoming “Dune”); his “Planet of the Apes” production designer, James Chinlund; editors William Hoy (the “Planet of the Apes” films) and Tyler Nelson (“Rememory”); Oscar-winning VFX supervisor Dan Lemmon (“The Jungle Book”); Oscar-nominated SFX supervisor Dominic Tuohy (“1917,” “Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker”); Oscar-nominated sound mixer Stuart Wilson (“1917,” the “Star Wars” franchise); Oscar-winning costume designer Jacqueline Durran (“1917,” “Little Women,” “Anna Karenina”) and costume designers Glyn Dillon (the “Star Wars” franchise) and David Crossman (“1917,” the “Star Wars” franchise); hair designer Zoe Tahir (upcoming “No Time to Die,” “Spectre”); and Oscar-nominated makeup designer Naomi Donne (“1917”).
Batman was created by Bob Kane with Bill Finger. Based on characters from DC, “The Batman” is set to open in theaters October 2021 and will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures
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The Geek is a working screenwriter, director and screenwriting instructor.
