‘The Batman’: Fans React to Leaked Stunt Footage with the New Batsuit
The Batman was filming in Scotland on Feb. 21. Robert Pattinson wasn’t there, but a stuntman wore the batsuit for a scene on a motorcycle. BBC Scotland first reported video of the scene at Necropolis cemetery east of Glasgow Cathedral. Soon, stills of the stuntman in the batsuit flooded Twitter and batfans responded.
Now, keep in mind this is very rough footage of what will be a very young Bruce Wayne (Pattinson) and we don’t know the context of these scenes. Reporters and fans watched the filmmakers shoot a scene they could retouch heavily in post-production and of which only a fragment may end up in the film. The Batman began filming on Jan. 27 and won’t be in theaters until June 25, 2021.
The Batman rides through the cemetery
Of course, cemetery’s are significant to Bruce Wayne/The Batman. His whole crime-fighting (caped) crusade began when he watched a mugger murder his parents in an alley behind a Gotham City theater. Many assume the cemetery in this scene is the one in which Thomas and Martha Wayne rest forever.
Another user captured 11 seconds of video of the Batman stunt driver riding alongside another biker. Batman crashes at the end of the road, perhaps not intentionally. Many users observed the other rider is female and suggest she might be Selina Kyle (Zoe Kravitz, albeit a stunt double in this scene).
Batthumbs up on The Batman batsuit
The first official look at Pattinson’s batsuit came when director Matt Reeves shared a camera test. You can actually see Pattinson’s chin sticking out of the cowl here.
Still, fans were excited to get a closer look at the batsuit, in action no less. This user approved, writing, “It looks like a cross of newer Batman and old batman. Specifically in the cowl, personally I like this suit.”
Joshua Rivera noticed the lack of a cape, which may not be final, but still stood out.
This user thinks the batsuit is appropriate for a young Bruce Wayne. “It’s Bruce Wayne ONLY in his 2nd year of being Batman,” he wrote. “I think this suit fits that.”
This user was 50/50. “Love the suit, hate the cowl/mask,” she wrote.
The Batman’s greatest enemy: tough batcritics
Who needs the Joker, Penguin or Riddler when you’ve got Twitter? Although Colin Farrell is playing Penguin and Paul Dano the Riddler in The Batman, Bruce Wayne may first have to defeat social media critics.
This user wasn’t pleased. “The bat suit and especially the ears on the mask look ridiculous,” he wrote, adding a Pattinson snub. “Twilight Batman on a scooter.”
This user simply reinforced why Batman should only come out at night. “It’s worth remembering that every single batsuit looks innately silly in daytime, no exceptions,” she wrote.
This user joked about another recent character backlash. “Lemme get ahead of the game and demand a redesign of #TheBatman costume so he looks more like #SonictheHedgehog,” he wrote.
Many noticed what looks like pens strapped to Batman’s wrists. This user wrote, “At least he looks like he won’t run out of pens though.”
Comic book connections
Some observant fans speculated on what classic comic storylines could inspire The Batman. Tyler Kingkade recognized pieces of the 1993 animated film.
This user compared it to a comic book and video game. “Sort of looks like a cross between Zero Year and the Telltale suit,” he wrote.
Many even noticed the goggles in the mask could light up. This user wrote, “He has goggles so WHITE EYES are coming! The ultimate Batman.”
Screenwriter and reporter Mark Hughes reminded viewers that early, leaked images of major character costumes often look bad out of context. The Batman wouldn’t be the first time.
Hughes also wrote, “When you look at leaked set images, remember you aren’t seeing things as they will eventually look on screen… It’s silly to even have to say such obvious things. We’ve been through this so many times before w/extreme reactions to casting or costumes, rumor-mongering, in-fighting among fans that becomes ugly etc, & yet somehow fandom STILL needs to be constantly reminded.”
