It’s taken years of development, but the first solo ‘Batman’ film since Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight Rises” has officially begun production, eight years after actor Christian Bale hung up the cape and cowl. And with the beginning of filming, Warner Bros. has gone ahead and confirmed all those cast and crew reports that have been circulating for almost a year now.
According to the studio, Matt Reeves has officially begun principal photography on “The Batman,” which is set to be the latest reboot of the franchise that got its big-screen start back in 1989, courtesy of Tim Burton. Robert Pattinson, who is teaming up with former ‘Batman’ filmmaker Nolan on the upcoming “Tenet,” has been hired to take over the mantle of Bruce Wayne, aka the Dark Knight.
However, in the full listing of the cast and crew, names such as Zoe Kravitz, Paul Dano, Colin Farrell, Jeffrey Wright, John Turturro, Andy Serkis, and Jayme Lawson have all been confirmed. In addition, Peter Sarsgaard, who previously was announced as part of the cast but whose role was not confirmed, has been listed as playing Gotham City District Attorney Gil Colson. And it’s that role that might have the most intrigue from this press release.
You see, before this cast list was announced, Reeves welcomed Sarsgaard to the cast via Twitter but didn’t list a role, which was rare, considering he has previously hinted at each role the major cast members would play. This led to speculation that perhaps the actor’s role is a surprise and rumors swirled that he would actually play Harvey Dent, aka the villain Two-Face. However, it appears from the release that Sarsgaard is playing Gil Colson, a new character in the DC comics universe. But the thing is, Dent is also a District Attorney. Are we potentially looking at a bit of misdirection from Warner Bros. to keep the reveal a secret?
Tin foil hat time!
Now, I can’t claim to have any insider knowledge to back up my speculation, but if Sarsgaard is, indeed, playing Dent and WB wants to keep it a secret, then this wouldn’t be the first time the studio has gone to great lengths to hide the identity of a ‘Batman’ character. Back in 2012, Nolan’s “The Dark Knight Rises” hired Joseph Gordon-Levitt to portray a previously unknown character, John Blake. Fans wondered if Gordon-Levitt’s character was actually Robin, but no one would confirm the speculation. Of course, we all know that the John Blake name was a cover to reveal that the character is, indeed, Robin.
So, sure, Sarsgaard could play Gil Colson and I’m sure that would be pretty great either way. But maybe, just maybe, there’s more to the story than meets the eye.
“The Batman” hits theaters on June 25, 2021.
You can read the full cast and crew breakdown below (via WB’s press release):
“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”).”