The long-gestating ‘Batman’ solo film now has two more actors in talks to join the cast: Andy Serkis for Alfred Pennyworth and Colin Farrell for The Penguin.
Serkis was recently in Jonathan Levine’s ‘Long Shot’ and Ryan Coogler’s ‘Black Panther.’ This would be a reunion between Serkis and filmmaker Matt Reeves, as Serkis played Caesar in the ‘Dawn’ and ‘War’ installments in the ‘Planet of the Apes’ franchise. Next, he will appear in FX’s ‘A Christmas Carol’ miniseries, premiering this December.
Farrell was recently in Steve McQueen’s ‘Widows’ and Tim Burton’s Dumbo’ remake. Other notable roles include Martin McDonagh’s ‘In Bruges,’ Yorgos Lanthimos’ ‘The Lobster’ and David Yates’ ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.’ He will next appear in Guy Ritchie’s ‘The Gentlemen,’ releasing January 24, 2020.
Moreover, Robert Pattinson (‘Good Time,’ ‘High Life’) will take on this latest iteration of the Dark Knight. He replaces Ben Affleck (‘Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice,’ ‘Justice League’). Jeffrey Wright (‘Westworld,’ ‘The Laundromat’) will play Commissioner Gordon. Zoë Kravitz (‘Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald,’ ‘Big Little Lies’) portrays Catwoman. Paul Dano (’12 Years a Slave,’ ‘Prisoners’) will play Edward Nashton, aka The Riddler.
Meanwhile, Reeves serves as both director and co-writer, with scribe Mattson Tomlin penning the screenplay with him. Tomlin wrote the upcoming Netflix film ‘Power,’ from directors Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman.
Additionally, the film will feature a rogues gallery of villains. Characters that will be featured alongside The Riddler, Catwoman, and The Penguin include Firefly, Two-Face, and Mad Hatter. The casting for Two-Face, aka Harvey Dent, will be quite soon.
The crew, so far, comprises of:
- Cinematographer Greig Fraser (‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,’ ‘Vice’)
- Composer Michael Giacchino (‘Incredibles 2,’ ‘Jojo Rabbit’)
- Costume designer Jacqueline Durran (‘Beauty and the Beast,’ ‘Darkest Hour’)
- Editor William Hoy (‘300,’ ‘Watchmen’)
- Production designer James Chinlund (‘War for the Planet of the Apes,’ ‘The Lion King’)
- Visual effects supervisor Dan Lemmon (‘Dawn of the Planet of the Apes,’ ‘The Jungle Book’)
Also, costume designers David Crossman and Glyn Dillon (‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,’ ‘Solo: A Star Wars Story’) will be tackling the batsuit.
Further, filming is aiming to begin January 13, 2020 in London, England.
Warner Bros. will release ‘The Batman’ on June 25, 2021.