Andy Serkis, the new Alfred to Robert Pattinson’s Bruce Wayne in The Batman, admitted Matt Reeves’ script is ”darker, broodier” and one has to assume grittier than past incarnations.
Serkis revealed this to LADbible in a new interview, probably from out of quarantine, saying “I would say that’s not far from the truth.”
He added the heart of the story is the connection Alfred has with Bruce while praising Reeves’ screenplay:
“It’s very much about the emotional connection between Alfred and Bruce. That’s really at the centre of it. And it is a really exquisite script that Matt has written.”
Serkis is the sixth actor (seven if you count that guy in Joker) to step into live-action as Alfred since the 1960s – from Alan Napier to Jeremy Irons – and the fifth in the 21st century – including Irons, Jack Bannon (EPIX’s Pennyworth), Sean Pertwee (Gotham), and Michael Caine.
Take into account everyone who has voiced the loyal Wayne-family butler in animation over the years and it’s a hefty litany of performances to live up to.
Serkis had good things to say about Caine’s Alfred in the Dark Knight movies but promised he is putting his unique spin on it:
“He [Caine] was fantastic. His Alfred was legendary, I couldn’t even begin to go there, really. You find it for yourself. You go back, you revisit them and you have to make it your own, and see what it is about the character that connects with you and your personal Venn diagram.”
Related: Director Matt Reeves Says The Batman Will Have a “Humanist Bent” Like His Other Films
Work on The Batman is in the middle of a moratorium over COVID-19 shutdowns and social distancing. Serkis said he was almost done filming his scenes before the forced break:
“I was literally half way through shooting my part in it when we got shut down. So it will be interesting to see when that resurfaces how it has been affected by it [lockdown].”
He added, “it’s going to be a beautiful film.” Serkis’s comments about the heart of the story lend credence to rumors Alfred and Bruce have a father-son relationship, combative or not.
Likewise, the shortness of his schedule may hint Alfred indeed dies as we additionally heard several weeks back, though the surprise death alleged isn’t necessarily Mr. Pennyworth.
It’s said the death is one which occurred in comics, though, and Alfred was recently killed off during Tom King’s storyline. From there, fans began connecting the dots.
Related: Fans Predict Major Character Death In Robert Pattinson’s The Batman After Alleged Leaks
The Batman was bumped from its original June release date due to novel coronavirus. It now lands in theaters Oct. 1, 2021.