The Batman Director Matt Reeves Reveals the Film’s Status Before Coronavirus Shutdown

The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has resulted in an unprecedented situation for the entertainment industry. Films that were expected to hit theaters this spring and summer have seen their release dates pushed back while films that were in production saw work shut down as around the world measures have been taken in attempts to slow the spread of COVID-19. The impact of those shutdowns may still have long-term impact on films depending where they were in production when the shutdowns hit and now, The Batman director Matt Reeves is opening up about that film’s status, revealing that there is still quite a bit left of the film to shoot.

In an interview with The Daily Beast, Reeves revealed that they had only shot about a quarter of the Robert Pattinson-starring film before the coronavirus shutdown — and the film won’t pick back up again until it’s “right and safe to do so”.

“It was going great,” Reeves said of work on The Batman prior to the pandemic. “We shot about a quarter of the movie so far; we have three quarters to go. And when the time is right and it’s safe to do so, we’ll return to it. It was a really exciting period to be exploring. Robert is a fantastic actor, and we have so many great actors in it! It’s been really, really exciting to go on this journey with them, and to feel like we are trying to do something different.”

The importance of things being safe is one that has personal meaning for Reeves. He explained that while he is trying to see the silver lining in things by appreciating his time with family currently, things have been very difficult as a crew member on The Batman, Andrew Jack, died due to the virus.

“But it has been a really hard time, because one of our crew members out here actually got the virus and died,” Reeves said. “It’s been a very heartbreaking time. It’s one of those moments when you take stock of things, I think the way everyone is, because suddenly their lives are on hold, and they know people are getting ill, and some people are getting very ill and dying. It’s very scary. It makes you really think about what matters.”

The time away from the film has also allowed Reeves to take stock of what they have already filmed for The Batman.

“There is that thing too, when you get to push pause. I’ve worked on some other movies where, for various reasons, you have a shutdown—whether it’s an actor gets sick and needs time to recover, or actually one time I got sick and needed time to recover,” Reeves said. “I do find that any time you’re in the midst of something enormous where you can suddenly stop and take a little stock of where you’re at, that can be a creative gift as well. But I think the hardest thing is just that we lost a beloved crew member. That, to me, is something we’re all still dealing with.”

The Batman will star Robert Pattinson as the titular caped crusader, with Zoe Kravitz as Catwoman, Colin Farrell as The Penguin, Paul Dano as The Riddler, Jeffrey Wright as Commissioner Gordon, John Turturro as Carmine Falcone, Peter Sarsgaard as Gil Colson, Jayme Lawson as Bella Real, and Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth.

The Batman is set to be released on June 25, 2021.