The Batman (film)

This article is about the 2022 film. For other film adaptations, see Batman in film.

The Batman
Theatrical release poster
Directed byMatt Reeves
Written by
Based onCharacters from DC
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyGreig Fraser
Edited by
Music byMichael Giacchino
Production
companies
Distributed byWarner Bros. Pictures
Release date
    • March 1, 2022 (2022-03-01) (Lincoln Center)
    • March 4, 2022 (2022-03-04) (United States)
Running time
176 minutes[4]
CountryUnited States[3]
LanguageEnglish
Budget$185–200 million[5][6]
Box office$772.3 million[7]

The Batman is a 2022 American superhero film based on the DC Comics character Batman. Directed by Matt Reeves from a screenplay he wrote with Peter Craig, it is a reboot of the Batman film franchise produced by DC Films. Robert Pattinson stars as Bruce Wayne / Batman alongside Zoë Kravitz, Paul Dano, Jeffrey Wright, John Turturro, Peter Sarsgaard, Andy Serkis, and Colin Farrell. The film sees Batman, in his second year fighting crime in Gotham City, uncover corruption with ties to his own family while pursuing the Riddler (Dano), a mysterious serial killer targeting the city's elite.

Development began after Ben Affleck was cast as Batman in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) in 2013. Affleck signed on to direct, produce, co-write, and star in The Batman, but had reservations about the project and dropped out. Reeves took over in February 2017 and reworked the story, removing the DCEU connections to focus on a younger version of the character earlier in his vigilante career compared to Affleck's. He sought to explore Batman's detective side more than previous films, drawing inspiration from the films of Alfred Hitchcock and the New Hollywood era, and comics such as Year One (1987), The Long Halloween (1996–97), and Ego (2000). Pattinson was cast in May 2019, with further casting later that year. Filming began in the United Kingdom in January 2020, but was halted in March by the COVID-19 pandemic. Production resumed later in the year and concluded in Chicago in March 2021.

The Batman was theatrically released by Warner Bros. Pictures on March 4, 2022, three days after premiering at the Lincoln Center in Manhattan, and was delayed twice from its original June 2021 release date due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The film was a commercial success, grossing $771 million against a $185–200 million budget, making it the seventh-highest-grossing film of 2022. It received positive reviews from critics, was nominated for three awards at the 95th Academy Awards, and received numerous other accolades. The film is intended to launch a Batman shared universe and is set to be followed by two sequels, with The Batman – Part II set to be released on October 2, 2026. A spin-off television series, The Penguin, starring Farrell, debuted on HBO in September 2024.

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