When Ben Affleck announced in 2017 that he would not direct the reboot of Batman, the project had directors such as Ridley Scott, George Miller, Denis Villeneuve, and Fede Álvarez as candidates. Finally, it fell into the hands of Matt Reeves, responsible for the success of Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, so he had shown he knew how to handle reboots of big franchises.

Two years later, it was confirmed that Affleck would also not be in front of the cameras reprising the role of Bruce Wayne and his masked identity. At a time when DC was living in the shadow of Marvel, every change in the projects was a reason for doubts and debates on social media by fans, many of whom were up in arms when they found out that the chosen one to play the iconic character would be Robert Pattinson.

Despite having worked with David Cronenberg on two occasions (Cosmopolis, Maps to the Stars), with Claire Denis (High Life), with Robert Eggers (The Lighthouse), and having been cast by David Fincher in Tenet, many DC fans only related him to the Edward Cullen of the Twilight saga, and decided that the new Batman was destined to fail.

All of this was forgotten when the first trailer came out. The rest is history. The film was a commercial success, grossing $771 million with a budget of $185 million, making it the seventh highest-grossing film of 2022. It received positive reviews from critics and was nominated for three Oscars at the 95th Academy Awards.

The success was such that it has two confirmed sequels, the first of which will be released in October 2026, and a derivative television series focused on The Penguin played by Colin Farrell, which premieres on September 20 on Max, HBO's streaming platform.

What it's about

On Halloween, Gotham City Mayor Don Mitchell Jr. is executed by a masked killer, Riddler. Billionaire Bruce Wayne, who has been acting as the vigilante Batman for two years, investigates the murder alongside Lieutenant James Gordon, much to the disdain of the Gotham City Police Department (GCPD).

This new version of Batman focuses on the early days of his vigilante career, specifically in the second year, and doesn't tell his origin story. The superhero faces a serial killer who has been targeting important political figures, an investigation that will lead him to confront cases revealing the endemic corruption affecting Gotham City, and realize that his family may not have been as honorable as he thought.

The 'Penguin' series

The HBO series begins after the events of The Batman, as Gotham recovers from the havoc caused by Riddler at the end of the movie. In the midst of this chaos, Oz Cobb, portrayed by Colin Farrell, plans his rise to become the leader of the city's criminal underworld.

Matt Reeves and Lauren LeFranc have stated that it is not essential to have seen the movie The Batman to understand the series, because "with Oz, you're in the city streets, you're in the dirt and mud. He looks up, wanting to make his way to the top, Batman looks down from above," said the showrunner in an interview with Games Radar.

While not absolutely necessary, it's still worth watching the introduction of The Penguin and the vision of Gotham in this new cinematic universe as the series unfolds within its boundaries. Additionally, it is a good movie that will be enjoyed by fans of DC and classic film noir.

*This article has been automatically translated using artificial intelligence