With the United Kingdom set to be put under new restrictions towards the end of the week, many are wondering what will happen to ongoing movie productions such as The Batman. Well, it sounds like there won’t be any further delays where the Dark Knight is concerned, with large-scale ongoings such as movie filming being allowed to continue. However, the government has warned that it is proceeding with caution in this regard.
Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden took to social media to provide some clarification to the recent announcement saying, “As the Prime Minister has just confirmed we will be taking additional restrictions from Thursday. We understand the anxiety & impact these will have, and will ensure they last not a day longer than necessary. The changes mean people should WFH [work from home] where possible. But where this is not possible, travel to a place of work will be permitted – e.g. this includes (but not exhaustive) elite sport played behind closed doors, film & tv production, telecoms workers.”
“We understand people will have a lot of questions and @DCMS officials & ministers will be working through these and detailed implications with sectors over the coming days,” he added.
The Batman has already suffered several delays, firstly due to the shutdown of the entertainment industry amid the ongoing global situation, and then more recently by lead star Robert Pattinson testing positive. At the time, Warner Bros. CEO Ann Sarnoff stepped in to defend the shoot and talking up the production’s robust health and safety protocols. “I think we never expected things to go completely smoothly. In fact, as we’ve been getting our protocols ready, we built in contingencies,” Sarnoff said. “If someone tests positive, you do contact tracing, you pause, you evaluate, and come back when you can. I think it would have been na&ïve to think we wouldn’t have certain cases on certain productions. The most important thing is to be ready for when that happens. And we were very much ready.”
The Batman has been described as a noir-driven story that will pick up with a tortured Bruce Wayne around two years into his crime-fighting career. Young Bruce has become disheartened by the lack of impact he is having on crime in Gotham, when suddenly a series of murders occur at the hands of The Riddler. Lead down a path that will reveal dark secrets about his beloved parents, Bruce is forced to confront the corruption going on in the shadows of his city, all while trying to catch The Riddler before he kills again.
Starring Robert Pattinson as the Caped Crusader, The Batman has amassed an all-star cast including the likes of Zo&ë Kravitz as Catwoman, Paul Dano as Riddler, Colin Farrell as Penguin, Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth, John Turturro as Carmine Falcone, Peter Sarsgaard as Gil Colson and Jeffery Wright as Commissioner Gordon. The Batman was originally set for release on June 25, 2021, before it was pushed back to October 1, 2021, and is now scheduled to hit theaters on March 4, 2022. This comes to us courtesy of Oliver Dowden’s official Twitter account.
