The Bat shall fight another day! Actor Robert Pattinson, who tested positive for Covid-19 in early September, has been given the official go-ahead to once again don the iconic cape and cowl as he and film crew resume production of The Batman (2021)!
“Following a hiatus for COVID 19 quarantine precautions, filming has now resumed on ‘The Batman’ in the U.K.,” a spokesperson for Warner Bros. Pictures told Variety.
Robert Pattinson as Bruce Wayne. Picture credit to YouTube (via Warner Bros. Pictures channel)
Pattinson’s positive test was the most high-profile example of the hazards of restarting production during the pandemic, just as Hollywood is trying to find a safe way to roll cameras on movies and television shows during the coronavirus era. The Batman had itself only just returned to production on Sept. 1, after shooting roughly 25% of the film at the start of the year before the industry-wide shutdown in March. The delay forced Warner Bros. to push the film’s scheduled release from June to Oct. 2021.
Pattinson’s positive COVID-19 test brought production on the comic book movie to a standstill on September 3rd and he has spent that time in recuperation. Cast and crew of The Batman who were in close contact with him also quarantined.
The studio has never confirmed the identity of the person with the positive test and did not reveal any information about Pattinson’s condition or if anyone else on the production tested positive. Representatives for Pattinson also never acknowledged that he had contracted the virus, though Variety confirmed an initial report in Vanity Fair that the actor had COVID-19.
Batman himself! Played by Robert Pattinson. Picture credit to YouTube (via Warner Bros. Pictures channel)
I think it’s fair to say that many people who were excited by the first official trailer for The Batman, released during the DC FanDome in late August, will be most pleased with the news of Pattinson’s healthy return and the movie returning to active production; I definitely am jazzed! I had my doubts about him in the role, but I admit I was biased because I am not a fan of the melodramatic Twilight saga; but Pattinson continues to prove time and again that he has great acting chops.
After all… it’s unlikely people will ever forget that epic moment when Batman, after pummeling an assailant who asked what the dark avenger is supposed to be, answers coldly: “…I’m vengeance!”
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