The Batman Original Script Now Available to Read Online

The Batman remains one of the most buzzworthy pieces of superhero media to come out this year, with DC fans being downright mesmerized by its new take on Gotham City. The three-hour epic unfolded in some genuinely unexpected ways, thanks to a captivating script from Matt Reeves and Peter Craig. Now, fans of The Batman can experience that story in a whole new way, with Deadline officially sharing the film’s screenplay.

The screenplay, which was released as part of Deadline‘s Read the Screenplay series, clocks in at 129 pages, much shorter than the previously-reported numbers of 160. 

What is The Batman about?

In The Batman, during his second year of fighting crime, Batman pursues the Riddler, a serial killer who targets elite Gotham City citizens. He uncovers corruption that connects to his own family during the investigation, and is forced to make new allies to catch the Riddler and bring the corrupt to justice. The film’s cast includes Robert Pattinson as Batman, Colin Farrell as The Penguin, Paul Dano as The Riddler, Zoe Kravitz as Catwoman, John Turturro as Carmine Falcone, Peter Sarsgaard as Gil Colson, Jayme Lawson as Bella Real, and Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth.

“I’ve definitely found a little interesting thread,” Pattinson explained in an interview earlier this year. “He doesn’t have a playboy persona at all, so he’s kind of a weirdo as Bruce and a weirdo as Batman, and I kept thinking there’s a more nihilistic slant to it. ‘Cause, normally, in all the other movies, Bruce goes away, trains, and returns to Gotham believing in himself, thinking, I’m gonna change things here. But in this, it’s sort of implied that he’s had a bit of a breakdown. But this thing he’s doing, it’s not even working. Like, it’s two years into it, and the crime has gotten worse since Bruce started being Batman. The people of Gotham think that he’s just another symptom of how shit everything is. There’s this scene where he’s beating everyone up on this train platform, and I just love that there’s a bit in the script where the guy he’s saving is also just like: Ahh! It’s worse! You’re either being mugged by some gang members, or a monster comes and, like, f-cking beats everybody up! The guy has no idea that Batman’s come to save him. It just looks like this werewolf.”

Will you be reading the script for The Batman? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

A sequel to The Batman is currently in the works.