The Batman: we reveal the trailer, soundtrack, cast and release date

18 February 2020, 16:14 | Updated: 18 February 2020, 16:16

Starring Robert Pattinson as Batman, the comic book-inspired movie is scored by legendary ‘Up’ and ‘Mission: Impossible’ composer Michael Giacchino.

The Batman follows troubled superhero Bruce Wayne, who is based on DC Comics’ famous character, the Dark Knight.

Directed by American filmmaker Matt Reeves (Cloverfield, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes) and co-written with Mattson Tomlin, the upcoming American movie aims for a fresh new take on the tragic hero, following the release of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice in 2016.

Twilight star Robert Pattinson has been cast in the leading role as Batman – and in the new trailer (watch above), we catch a first glimpse of his conflicted character.

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Who wrote the soundtrack for The Batman?

In October 2019, Reeves announced that his long-time collaborator, legendary film composer Michael Giacchino, would be scoring the film.

The American composer was seemingly so excited about working on the project that he finished writing the main theme later that month.

As well as writing the music for the Mission: Impossible, Jurassic World and Star Trek series, his impressive portfolio includes Pixar animation Up, Planet of the Apes, and another comic book classic, Spider-Man: Far From Home.

With an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award and three Grammy Awards under his belt, we’re expecting great things from Giacchino’s new Batman soundtrack.

Who wrote the original Batman theme?

When Tim Burton’s Batman hit our screens in 1989, it was memorably scored by Danny Elfman (The Simpsons).

Elfman’s catchy five-note motif (‘The Batman Theme’) quickly became iconic among music and film fans, and was used as the basis for the theme music in the popular 1992 TV series, Batman: The Animated Series, as well as featuring in the films Lego Batman: The Videogame and Justice League.

His score would also become one of the first film scores to be released in a separate soundtrack album – quite the achievement for the ‘80s.

Batman Soundtrack - 01. The Batman Theme

Who has been cast in The Batman?

Noughties heartthrob Robert Pattinson will be playing the lead role of Batman. In the trailer, we see a 56-second clip of the famous Bat motif on his suit come into focus before zooming in on Pattinson, who is bathed in red light and concealed by a mask.

The English actor first rose to fame following his appearance as Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005), later signing on to play Edward Cullen in the famed Twilight saga, which consisted of five films between 2008 and 2012 and grossed more than $3.3billion worldwide.

After hearing about Reeves’ plans for The Batman, Pattinson was keen to pursue the main role. He told Variety: “I’d had Batman in my mind for a while. It’s such an absurd thing to say. I sort of had an idea to do it, and I’d been prodding Matt. He didn’t accept any prods. I kept asking to meet him.”

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On wearing the Batman suit for the first time, Pattinson said: “You do feel very powerful immediately. You’ve got five people trying to shove you into something. Once you’ve got it on, it’s like, ‘Yeah, I feel strong, I feel tough, even though I had to have someone squeezing my butt cheeks into the legs.”

Joining him in the cast are Zoe Kravitz (X-Men: First Class, Mad Max: Fury Road) as Catwoman, Broadway actor Paul Dano as Riddler and Hollywood star Colin Farrell as the Penguin, among others.

What is the release date of The Batman?

The Batman is scheduled for release in the UK and US on 25 June 2021.