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The movie industry and the arts have been hit hard throughout the pandemic, with delayed releases and stalled productions. Now, after multiple setbacks, The Batman has finally begun to continue production in Liverpool, England.
Written and directed by Matt Reeves (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes), the new Bat-flick sees Robert Pattinson don the cape and cowl in the first of a new trilogy as he goes toe-to-toe with several iconic baddies, including Colin Farrell as the Penguin, Zoё Kravitz as Catwoman and Paul Dano as the Riddler.
Production for the new movie in the UK was set to start earlier in the year, but was forced to stop during the nationwide lockdown. After a short while, the gears started turning again until Pattinson himself contracted the virus, halting production again.
During this time we were greeted with a short, but incredible teaser trailer from DC’s FanDome event, which gave fans an idea to the kind of film we would be getting.
Now entering October, production has been able to continue, with multiple shoots operating across the city.
The main focus of the production has been at St. George’s Hall, doubling as Gotham with several key actors spotted on set, including Pattinson, Zoё Kravitz and an unrecognisable Colin Farrell in his Penguin makeup, all attending the funeral of an unknown character whilst being hounded by the press and Riddler gang members.
From set pictures and visits, we can see that this will be a big scene in the movie, and one that lines up with footage from the FanDome teaser, with multiple Gotham City vehicles, including police cars, ambulances, fire trucks, Channel 4 News vans, Bruce Wayne’s snazzy new car, as well as large LED screens from the Gotham Health Department that show a Scarecrow-like logo above a caption that reads “Stop Drops.”
Production continued on the 15th October with multiple helicopters flying above the Hall, one looking like a police or news chopper, while the other had a camera attached to the front as it circled the chaotic scene.
The helicopters also paid a visit to the iconic Liver Building, where a stunt actor, dressed in a new wingsuit costume was spotted above the clock, looking out across the Mersey before appearing to get ready to jump.
Production wasn’t just restricted to the City Centre. A team of stunt professionals were spotted riding large black motorbikes at Anfield Cemetery, with the two performers dressed in full Batman and Catwoman costumes. According to security, it is a 12 second scene near the end of the film.
It appears as though they were hoping for rain as a large tank was used to spray walls and the road before each take, with the actors and bikes also getting sprayed too.
This is an exciting time for residents, who are no strangers to big budget movies and TV shows making the city their home, from Sherlock Holmes (2009), Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), and Peaky Blinders (2013).
The Batman has been officially delayed from 2021 to March 2022, but the hype hasn’t faded. For Bat-fans and Liverpudlians, this will be one to watch.
The Batman will be released 4th March 2022.