DC characters in addition to the Dark Knight have been spotted on the set of The Batman in photos and video, but it’s not the same multiversal paradox you’ll see in The Flash.
Rather actors can be seen in Superman and Wonder Woman Halloween costumes appropriate for the season, even though The Batman no longer holds an October release slot.
Cultured Nerd shared the images in an Instagram gallery, noting Cheetah and a Batman costume were among them. The post also moots the idea this is the Snyderverse.
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Grace Randolph shared one of the photos. “Weird that the 2/3 of the Trinity would exist without #TheBatman – I wonder how Bruce Wayne will react to these costumes!” she mused.
Randolph added, “I’ve heard that if the film is popular enough it COULD be made a part of the #DCEU – as of now, my vote is yes.”
She concedes The Batman is a standalone story and confirms the costumes are for Halloween in the context of the film. It borrows from The Long Halloween so that makes sense.
Video surfaced of the extra in the Superman costume during the week of filming in Liverpool. Watch him as he skips down the steps of St. George’s Hall.
@SamMcTweets #Batman #Batmanliverpool #Superman pic.twitter.com/qx5KLSajNN
— Adam Cookson (@AdamCookson_) October 16, 2020
Whether Supes and Wonder Woman exist in The Batman’s contained universe as fictional heroes remains to be seen, but this is a tip of the hat to the shared DC banner in any case.
Some are thinking this is a sign of a soft reboot of DC film franchises. That’s unlikely considering Henry Cavill is believed to be staying on as Superman and how everything hinges on the success of The Snyder Cut of Justice League.
But actors rumored to inherit a part in the Extended Universe still comment on the potential. Alleged favorite to become the next Big Blue Boy Scout David Corenswet mentioned he wants to play a brighter, more hopeful Man of Steel once he caught wind of the speculation.
“It came to my attention before the internet got a hold of me,” Corenswet told Entertainment Weekly last year. “But my pie-in-the-sky ambition is definitely to play Superman.”
He continued, “I would love to see somebody do an upbeat, throwback [take on Superman]. I love the Henry Cavill dark and gritty take, but I would love to see the next one be very bright and optimistic.”
Related — Rumor: DC Films Wants To Make A Superman Trilogy Out Of Man of Steel With Henry Cavill
Grimdark is definitely Batman’s territory more than it is the Man of Tomorrow’s but just because Henry Cavill and Zack Snyder could very well stay in charge of the ship doesn’t mean the next outing will be as bleak as Man of Steel.
Remember Snyder did intimate his goal across a five-film arc was to gradually turn Superman into the boy scout everyone’s familiar with. He deserves the chance to fulfill that as much as Cavill believes he does.
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If Corenswet is cast as Big Blue and someone else takes over – as if we need a new big-screen Superman only three years after his last movie appearance – The Flash is the key Warner Bros. is counting on.
Andy Muschietti’s fully loaded picture is setting us up to grow inured to the idea of multiple Batmen at one time and might drag sundry Supermen into the mix too, including one played by Nic Cage that never happened.
How being one of a number of Caped Crusader’s currently sits with Robert Pattinson is unclear. If he’s bitter, that’s the least of his and The Batman’s problems (assuming rumors are true).
Let’s hope it turns out okay and is good enough, for its own sake, to earn a sequel – barring any brand-wide film universe reboot.