The Batman Halts Production Due to Coronavirus

Warner Bros. Pictures has halted production on The Batman. The Matt Reeves-directed film has been filming in the United Kingdom. The studio announced a two-week hold today due to concerns about the spread of the coronavirus that causes COVID-10. According to Deadline, Warner Bros. stated that "Warner Bros. Pictures feature production of The Batman will be on a two-week hiatus starting today. The studio will continue to monitor the situation closely." Whether the film, which will see Robert Pattinson debut in the role of Bruce Wayne, gets back on track remains to be seen. Principal photography began in London in January 2020

This news follows after Universal shut down production on its upcoming live-action feature films amid fears about the spread of the new coronavirus and COVID-19. These are the latest in a string of production shutdowns from the likes of Disney, Netflix, Sony, and others. There have also been delays in the releases of finished movies, including A Quiet Place Part II and The New Mutants. The biggest film affected is Jurassic World: Dominion, the end of a trilogy of films that revived Universal's Jurassic Park franchise. The film began shooting in London in February. Other Universal productions ramping down include boxing drama Flint Strong and an untitled Billy Eichner film.

The Batman is directed by Matt Reeves, who directed Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and War for the Planet of the Apes. Reeves has described the film as leaning into Batman's nature as a detective.

"It's very much a point of view-driven, noir Batman tale," Reeves said in a previous interview. "It's told very squarely on his shoulders, and I hope it's going to be a story that will be thrilling but also emotional. It's more Batman in his detective mode than we've seen in the films. The comics have a history of that."

The cast of The Batman also includes Zoë Kravitz (Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, Mad Max: Fury Road) as Selina Kyle; Paul Dano (Love & Mercy, 12 Years a Slave) as Edward Nashton; Jeffrey Wright (the Hunger Games films) as the GCPD's James Gordon; John Turturro (the Transformers films) as Carmine Falcone; Jayme Lawson (Farewell Amor) as mayoral candidate Bella Reál; with Andy Serkis (the Planet of the Apes films, Black Panther) as Alfred; and Colin Farrell (Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Dumbo) as Oswald Cobblepot.

The upcoming slate of DC Films movies currently includes Wonder Woman 1984 on June 5th, The Batman on June 25, 2021, The Suicide Squad on August 6, 2021, Black Adam on December 22, 2021, Shazam! 2 on April 1, 2022, Super Pets on May 20, 2022, The Flash on July 1, 2022, and Aquaman 2 on December 16, 2022.