DC_Comics_498

The Batman is a 2022 American superhero film based on the DC Comics character Batman. Produced by DC Films, 6th & Idaho, and Dylan Clark Productions, and set for distribution by Warner Bros. Pictures, it is a reboot of the Batman film franchise. The film was directed by Matt Reeves, who wrote the screenplay with Peter Craig. It stars Robert Pattinson as Bruce Wayne / Batman alongside Zoë Kravitz, Paul Dano, Jeffrey Wright, John Turturro, Peter Sarsgaard, Andy Serkis, and Colin Farrell. Set in his second year of fighting crime, the film sees Batman uncover corruption in Gotham City while pursuing the Riddler (Dano), a serial killer who targets Gotham's elite.

Ben Affleck was cast as Batman in 2013 for several films set in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). He signed on to direct, produce, co-write, and star in The Batman in 2015, but in 2017 he chose not to direct the film due to a combination of factors. Reeves took over as director and co-writer, reworking the story to emphasize Batman's detective side to a greater extent than previous Batman films. He took inspiration from comic books such as "Year One" (1987), The Long Halloween (1996–97), Ego (2000), and "Zero Year" (2013–14), and chose to feature a younger version of Batman. Affleck left The Batman entirely in January 2019 and the film's DCEU connections were removed. Pattinson was cast to replace him in May, with further casting confirmed in late 2019. Principal photography lasted from January 2020 to March 2021 in the United Kingdom and Chicago.

The Batman is scheduled for release in the United States on March 4, 2022, delayed from a June 2021 release by the COVID-19 pandemic. The film is intended to launch a Batman shared universe, with two sequels planned and two spin-off television series in development for HBO Max.