The Batman Starts Filming: 10 Clues For What We Can Expect

Are we really going to have to watch Batman's parents get murdered again?

By Josh Wilding /

Had things panned out a little differently, The Batman would be a movie you'd have seen by now. Unfortunately, Ben Affleck's repeated promises to direct and star in the Justice League spinoff came to naught and it wasn't long after the Oscar-winner stepped out of the director's chair that War for the Planet of the Apes director Matt Reeves decided to take the job.

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He ditched the screenplay Affleck, Geoff Johns, and Justice League writer Chris Terrio had all taken cracks at and went back to the drawing board. That ultimately led to the actor hanging up his cape and cowl (no great surprise after the critical response to his previous appearances in the DCEU) and we soon learned that Reeves had found a new, younger Batman: Robert Pattinson.

With the full cast now officially revealed and set photos shedding some light on everything from the movie's setting to potentially controversial creative decisions, it's time to follow the example of the World's Greatest Detective by delving into the clues which shed some light on what exactly fans can expect from The Batman.

10. Not The Penguin You're Probably Expecting

When you think of The Penguin, you probably imagine someone along the lines of the version Danny DeVito portrayed in Batman Returns, right? That is traditionally how the villain has been portrayed both on screen and in the comics but the overweight little man with a long nose seemingly won't be in The Batman.

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A white-haired Colin Farrell - or possibly his stand-in - has been spotted on set holding the villain's trademark umbrella but looking considerably leaner than expected. While the actor recently denied the new look he was spotted rocking while walking around Hollywood was for The Batman, the aforementioned set photo indicates otherwise.

This points to Farrell playing a mashup of The Penguin and Emperor Penguin. He was Oswald Cobblepot's right-hand man who ultimately took over his criminal empire and given how the villain has been portrayed in newer adaptations like Telltale's Batman video game, it seems we're getting a modernized version of Oswald Cobblepot who could end up being a physical match for Batman rather than, well, a fat old man the Dark Knight beats up on the regular.

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