The Batman Set Photos Give Us First Full Look At Robert Pattinson's Batsuit
Bat-fans, it's the moment you've been waiting for... well, one of them.
Photos from the set of the upcoming The Batman have been leaked online, and they feature Robert Pattinson's stunt double sporting the flick's version of the Batsuit, zipping around on a Bat-cycle. Unlike the first look that was teased in camera test footage that was released to the internet last week (which was bathed in a deep red, and only showed us the chest piece, mask, and cowl), these images were taken in broad daylight and are clear as a bell (via Polygon).
We're not just being cheeky about the motorcycle, either; it's distinctly Bat-themed, with a set of slanted ears where the visor should be, extra-hardcore tires, and a black-on-black aesthetic which is perfectly appropriate for your average Dark Knight. As for the suit itself, it has some unique properties which serve to clue us in to the fact that this is a Batman who hasn't been on the Bat-beat for long — and yes, it certainly looks like the Caped Crusader's chest plate is exactly what we thought it was.
The new Batsuit has a telltale pieced-together look
After that test footage was released, the internet lit up with speculation that the distinctly mechanical-looking Bat-logo adorning the chest of Master Wayne's new suit looked quite a bit like a disassembled gun — and that it might, in fact, be the very gun that was used to murder Wayne's parents. We can't completely confirm that last bit yet, but the new set photos give us a good, clear look at the chest plate, and if it isn't made from a gun, then we are the Rolling Stones. (We're not.)
One photo in particular reveals that the chest plate is tough to mistake for anything else, and in fact, the entire suit has the look of having been made from repurposed materials rather than fabricated specifically for Bat-purposes. The shoulder pieces, utility belt, and chest pads in particular look like nothing so much as tactical gear, of the sort you might see being used by a S.W.A.T. team — although we concede that the mask was likely custom-made, unless Gotham's S.W.A.T. unit issues its officers helmets with long, pointy ears.
Also of note are the distinctly standard-issue-looking combat boots and fatigues (as seen in a second, head-to-toe shot), and the wrist gauntlets, which appear designed to fire some sort of long, skinny projectiles. Also, intriguingly, there's something missing from the entire ensemble: a cape. Apparently, this Batman won't be doing any glider-ing or cape-fu; we must admit that seeing Bats screaming around on a souped-up motorcycle with a long piece of fabric billowing out behind him always seemed a little unnecessarily dangerous.
Finally, you'll notice that the eyepieces are covered with dark lenses; it's unclear if this is for eye protection while riding the Bat-cycle, or if some kind of GCI augmentation will be done to the eyes in post-production.
The Batman might take inspiration from The Long Halloween
The Batsuit's aesthetic is all very suggestive of a Batman who is just beginning to embark on his Bat-career, which lends credence to the idea that the flick will take cues from the classic comic series The Long Halloween for its story. Super-geek and former DC comics writer Kevin Smith has said that he heard "from a good source" that this was so (via GeekTyrant), and a set photo tweeted in January by Twitterer @wadegrav revealed a trio of jack-o'-lanterns hanging out on set.
The Long Halloween is a continuation of the Batman: Year One story, picking up with the Dark Knight while he's still a relatively novice crime-fighter. In it, Batman must deal with a serial killer who dispatches his victims on a monthly basis, and only on holidays; gumming up the works is a mob war between the Maroni and Falcone families, not to mention a plethora of supervillains including Two-Face, the Riddler, Catwoman, the Joker, and Calendar Man.
Several of these characters are featured in The Batman — specifically Carmine Falcone (John Turturro), Catwoman (Zoë Kravitz) and the Riddler (Paul Dano) — and the flick's plot is said to involve a serial killer terrorizing Gotham. It sure seems like The Long Halloween is, at the very least, an influence on The Batman — but we likely won't be able to make a guess as to just how strong of an influence until we see a trailer. Unless, of course, we get a bunch more super-revealing set photos, which we just might. That set has been leaking like a sieve.
The Batman is slated for release on June 25, 2021.