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Managing editor & film and television critic with a Bachelor's of Arts in English Literature with a Writing Minor from the University of Guam. Currently in graduate school completing a Master's in English Literature.
Day One of DC Comics’s DC FanDome event was extravagant from start to finish, ending on a dark note. Matt Reeves teased a heavy first look at his current project featuring a new version of the Dark Knight, written by Project Power scribe Mattson Tomlin.
With only a quarter of footage filmed before the COVID-19 pandemic struck earlier this spring, here is what we have taken note of so far!
Breakdown
The teaser begins with a dead man’s head being duct-taped, and in one lifeless hand, he is holding a card that reads “From your secret friend.” In it is a riddle: “What does a liar do when he’s dead?” (On Twitter, someone had solved it when a punny yet clever answer.)
This letter is addressed to “the Batman” (Robert Pattinson) from the Riddler himself (Paul Dano). Commissioner Jim Gordon and his Gotham City Police Department officers are helping investigate the scene.
A press conference is held, and Bruce Wayne/ Batman is seen driving his motorcycle through a cemetery. In Chapter Five of The Long Halloween comic book run, Batman and Catwoman confront Carmine Falcone, who is visiting his son Alberto Falcone’s supposed grave; and in Chapter Eight, Bruce is seen at his mother Martha’s grave.
A funeral is being held for what looks to be Gil Colson (Peter Sarsgaard). Fans have been speculating the character to be Reeves’s version of Two-Face. If this were the case, it looks like he may have faked his death. In the comics, Harvey Dent briefly disguised himself after he and his wife Gilda were attacked on Halloween night.
Bruce Wayne saves somebody from being attacked during the funeral, with another person arriving to deliver Batman another message to the vigilante. A vehicle had crashed through, and the letters “DOA” (Dead Or Alive?) cover around it.
Halfway through the trailer, we see Selina Kyle (Zoë Kravitz) breaking into someone’s home; caution tape is foregrounded although blurred into the frame. Kyle tries to crack into a safe, and Batman later fights her in the room. Catwoman’s first appearance in the comic storyline is in Chapter One when she breaks into a safe during a wedding thrown by Carmine Falcone himself.
Oswald Cobblepot (Colin Farrell) is seen in the dark of the night. The character appeared briefly in the final issue of The Long Halloween. Perhaps in the film, he shall have a much larger role!
Bruce is back at the funeral crime scene, this time as Batman.
The riddler’s new puzzle: “If you are justice, please do not lie. What is the price for your blind eye?” This could be a follow-up to the previous riddle.
Batman beats men in the rain, then says, “I’m vengeance.” A short incredible fast-paced montage, ending with Cobblepot fleeing the scene.
Riddler ends the trailer saying, “You’re a part of this, too.” Batman says, “How am I a part of this?” to which the Riddler replies, “You’ll see.”
Not only does this first footage showcase influences from the comic book arc, but Batman’s costume in this film bears a striking resemblance to that of the source material.
Are you excited about this film? Are you ready to see this project be completed? What was your favorite part? Was The Batman your favorite DC FanDome panel? If not, what was? Let us know! For more Mattson Tomlin, Warner Brothers, DC Comics, and The Batman-related news and reviews, follow The Cinema Spot on Twitter (@TheCinemaSpot) and Instagram (@thecinemaspot_).
Managing editor & film and television critic with a Bachelor's of Arts in English Literature with a Writing Minor from the University of Guam. Currently in graduate school completing a Master's in English Literature.
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