Robert Pattinson takes on the cape of the Dark Knight in “The Batman”, released in theaters on March 2, 2022. And several iconic Gotham villains appear in the film.
It’s always difficult to imagine a Batman film without its iconic enemy, the Joker. It is therefore logical that fans wondered if the psychopathic clown who terrorizes Gotham was going to make an appearance in The Batman. However, Matt Reeves’ film released in March 2022 launched Bruce Wayne (Robert Pattinson) on the trail of other comic book villains: the Riddler (Paul Dano), the Penguin (Colin Farrell), Catwoman (Zoë Kravitz) and even Carmine Falcone (John Turturro).
But the Joker does make a (brief) appearance in The Batman. Warning, spoilers. You have to wait until the very end of the film to find out, even if his name is never spoken and his face is largely hidden. But it’s impossible not to recognize this memorable villain when one of the Arkham prisoners laughs after saying the word “clown”. In the credits, the Joker is not revealed either, but we then discover that Barry Keoghan (Saltburn, The Eternals, The Banshees of Inisherin) plays this mysterious prisoner of Arkham, after having long been announced to the casting under the (false) name of “Officer Stanley”.
It could also be that this short appearance will not be the Joker’s last in the adaptation of the adventures of the Dark Knight by Matt Reeves. It is indeed not impossible that Barry Keoghan is one of the actors credited in the casting of The Batman: Part IIsequel to the film starring Robert Pattinson, Jeffrey Wright and Andy Serkis. But for now, the plot and the casting of this sequel are still kept secret. No wonder, since the film is due to be released on October 2, 2026 in cinemas.
film profile
Synopsis – It’s been two years since Bruce Wayne donned the Batman costume and fought against the crime plaguing Gotham. When a killer attacks the city’s elite, spreading clues to the masked vigilante, Batman discovers what’s really going on in Gotham. To unmask the culprit of these sadistic crimes, he will join forces with Selina Kyle (Catwoman).
The Batman is much darker, radical and violent than the previous films featuring the masked vigilante. In the United States, the film is classified as “PG-13”, meaning that parental guidance is recommended and that some films may not be suitable for children under 13. In France, there is no ban, the film having been banned “all audiences with warning”. But, due to some violent scenes and a plot involving a serial killer, it is probably recommended not to take children under the age of 13 to see The Batman without being accompanied.
The superhero films from the Marvel stable have accustomed spectators to waiting until the very end of the credits to discover the famous post-credits scenes. The spectators of The Batman will not have to go to this trouble, since there is no post-credits scene which concludes Matt Reeves’ film. However, there is an easter egg (or wink) in reference to a scene in the film which gives a web address: that of rataaladaessential to the plot of the film and which Warner recreated to promote its feature film.
The Batman will have a cinema sequel, this is what Warner Bros. has announced. Pictures through its CEO Toby Emmerich during the CinemaCon convention in Las Vegas on April 26, 2022. Without giving the slightest detail on what this sequel will be about, Warner still clarified that Matt Reeves is returning to direct while that Robert Pattinson reprises the role of Bruce Wayne aka Batman. The Batman: Part II is currently announced for release on September 30, 2026.
Before the release of Matt Reeves’ film on March 2, 2022, the first press reviews were enough to reassure the most skeptical spectators. The Batman garners 87% positive reviews on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. On Allociné, the feature film received a rating of 3.8/5 stars. THE specialist magazine Cinematase is one of the conquered, judging that “Matt Reeves seizes the Batman icon by a radical and imposing gesture”, “anchored in a solid plot but firmly driven by the emotions of its characters”.
Le Figaro hails “a dark and sticky version of Batman”, while The Parisian judges this “dark return to sources, deliberately tinkered with visually, is very successful”. Robert Pattinson’s acting performance is praised by Closer, who believes that the British actor “delivers a stunning performance”. More mixed, First considers that this thriller is “an undeniable success of embodiment and aesthetics”, however deploring “a scenario which struggles to rise to the same level”. The JDD welcomes for its part “a violence, a brutality and a cruelty worthy of the thrillers of the 1970s, despite an ultimately quite static action which does not avoid length”.
Robert Pattinson plays Batman and his alter ego Bruce Wayne in the film directed by Matt Reeves. He is surrounded by a cast of big names: Colin Farrell (Good kisses from Bruges, Alexandre) plays the role of the Penguin while Zoë Kravitz (Mad Max Fury Road, Divergent) plays Catwoman and Jeffrey Wright (Hunger Games, Westworld) will be Commissioner Gordon. Andy Serkis (The Lord of the Rings, King Kong) will be the butler Alfred Pennyworth, Paul Dano (Little Miss Sunshine, Swiss Army Man) the Riddler and John Turturro (The Big Lebowski, O’Brother) will lend his features to mafioso Carmine Falcone. Peter Sarsgaard (Jarhead, Boys Don’t Cry) also stars in the film.
Should we see other films before discovering The Batman?
Robert Pattinson dons the Batman cape and becomes the new incarnation of Batman on the big screen. But do you have to have seen other films from the DC universe or other films featuring the superhero before discovering Matt Reeves’ work? Fortunately not, since The Batman is a new solo vigilante film. Who says new incarnation, says plot totally independent from the films of Tim Burton, Joel Schumacher or even Christopher Nolan. Robert Pattinson’s Batman also doesn’t fit into the DC films with Ben Affleck: if you haven’t seen the previous incarnations of the character, you can discover this new film without worry.