Opening with the arrest of Paul Dano's Edward Nashton - AKA The Riddler - this trailer acts as a continuation of the story first teased at last year's DC Fandome. With this Zodiac-inspired version of the cryptic supervillain taking out high-ranking Gotham officials, we see him leaving perplexing clues to lure in The Batman and Jeffrey Wright's Lieutenant Jim Gordon.
Pattinson's Bruce Wayne narrates several shots of terror on the streets of Gotham, inflicted by both himself and the criminal gangs that run rife in the city. "Gotham is a powder keg...and Riddler's the match" is said just as Selina Kyle makes her first appearance, played by High Fidelity's Zoe Kravitz. Inspired by the iconic Batman: Year One arc, Kravitz' Selina is a master of disguise and appears sporting several different wigs and outfits as she goes about her own detective work, yet to become the fully-fledged anti-hero that fans know and love as Catwoman. The relationship between The Bat and The Cat has always been beloved in their big-screen portrayals, most famously in Tim Burton's Batman Returns between Michael Keaton and Michelle Pfeiffer. Pattinson and Kravitz show they are more than capable of taking up those respective mantles.
Fans have been praising this new portrayal of the costumed superhero for quite literally being a comic book come to life.
The unrecognisable Colin Farrell receives quite a significant focus in this trailer as disfigured gangster Oz Cobblepot, AKA The Penguin. He took up a smaller role next to The Riddler in this film but is set to reappear across the future movies and accompanying HBO Max spin-off shows. Meanwhile, this trailer also gave us our first look at Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth, faithful butler and grizzled veteran and one of the only characters unafraid to give Bruce Wayne a piece of his mind.
Serkis' Pennyworth tops off an ensemble of DC Comics characters that make Reeves' universe seem all the more established, unlike previous films that spend little time with the supporting Gotham City regulars. Along with the more than generous amount of action sequences showcased in the trailer, fans have been praising this new portrayal of the costumed superhero for quite literally being a comic book come to life.
The Batman comes to cinemas on March 4th 2022.
