WithMatt Reeves’The Batmannow just around the corner as 2022 comes into view, long-time Batman fans have been eager to catch a glimpse of the director’s take on the caped crusader, as well as some of the most iconic faces from the hero’s rogues gallery. And the film’snewest trailer— appropriately titled “The Bat and the Cat” — has not let us down, giving us peeks at everything from Catwoman and the Bat Signal to an unsettling Riddler and his streak of near-unsolvable puzzles.
Reeves’ visual style is much moreDark Knight RisesthanThe Suicide Squad, with orange and red tones that give off an appropriately gothic feel for this version of Gotham’s midnight hero. Jumping from a rooftop, driving the Batmobile, or — as is the norm for superhero films — standing shirtless in a dark room and brooding, starRobert Pattinsonembodies a familiar but all-new kind of Bruce Wayne, sporting the kind of eye-black that gives the impression he’s a fan ofRobert Smith.
But Pattinson’s Wayne isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty, based on a handful of action shots, and for good reason: the Caped Crusader has his hands full with a number of nasty-looking baddies, versions of classic comic villains transformed from their campy, pulp origins into something much more gruesome.
Colin Farrellis unrecognizable as The Penguin, caught in what looks like a car chase with Batman, andPaul Dano’s Riddler leans less towards circus act and more towards serial killer, with an army green get-up covering most of his face and body — an unsettling visual, considering the weapon he carries and the way his Coke-bottle glasses are balanced over his gimp mask.
RELATED:‘The Batman’ Release Date on HBO Max Confirmed by WarnerMedia CEO
Zoë Kravitz’s Selina Kyle (better known as Catwoman) is perhaps the least unpleasant of the bunch, present throughout the trailer and hinting at a team-up between the fierce cat burglar and Wayne himself. With a stylish pixie cut that fits well under her (literal) cat mask, she also sports pointed nails, impeccable cat eyeliner, and an attitude to match — and what else would we expect from the Dark Knight’s on-again, off-again partner?
Wayne is accused throughout the new trailer of doing nothing for Gotham, which couldn’t be farther from the truth. Reeves’ version of Bruce Wayne is throwing everything but the kitchen sink at his enemies (and honestly, maybe that too), pulling none of his punches as he chases clues set up by The Riddler, clues that implicate him in something important, if his conversations with loyal butler Alfred (Andy Serkis) are of any indication. But will the impressive martial arts skills Bruce shows off in the trailer be enough to bring a handful of villainous rogues to justice? We can only hope.
The Batman, also starringPeter Sarsgaard,Jeffrey Wright, andJohn Turturro, arrives in theaters on August 23, 2025. Check out more new images from the trailer below:
