Article by Adam Poncharoensub
Back in March, principal photography on Matt Reeves’ The Batman was shut down in England to prevent spread of the coronavirus. It was originally supposed to just be for two weeks, but it was extended indefinitely. Since then, production has been slow, since very little footage was shot, not leaving much to work with, aside from finances and logistics. Because of this, WB had to make the difficult decision of pushing back the release date. Instead of its original June 25, 2021 release, it was moved to October. However, it looks like WB may soon be getting the go-ahead to re-start. It seems that with the approval of safety measures, the UK government will allow films to resume production soon.
The British Film Commission and British Film Institute have drawn up new safety guidelines, per a report from the Guardian. These guidelines were approved by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, Public Health England, and the Health and Safety Executive. The guidelines include social distancing and temperature testing. The news of their approval could allow for all film and TV crews to get back to work as early as July. Ultimately, it is up to the production to determine how to enforce the guidelines and when filming can resume. It seems the goal was to enable production to begin before summer’s end to take advantage of the weather.
RBattz could be back in costume by July
What does that mean for us comic book fans? Well, that means that Matt Reeves and co. could potentially get eyes on RBattz in costume within the next couple months. Of course, this is all based on WB, which seems likely.
While I’m personally excited that cameras could start rolling on The Batman soon, I feel it’s a little too soon. While I totally understand that the crew members need to get back to work, I’m more concerned about the virus. Even with these safety measures in place, it’s hard to say it will prevent infection and that’s if they adhere to them. I suppose it might be the best choice in order to help keep the entertainment industry afloat.
What do you think? Do you think it’s about time for production to resume? Or do you think it’s too soon for the UK government to allow films to start shooting again? Let me know.
The Batman will hit theatres on October 1, 2021. The film stars Robert Pattinson as Bruce Wayne, with Zoe Kravitz as Selina Kyle, Paul Dano as Edward Nashton, Colin Farrell as Oswald Cobblepot, and Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth.