When the first trailer for The Batman was released, it showed a slick and gritty new take on the Dark Knight and Gotham City. However, it also included some footage that was never meant for the finished product at all.
Hairstylist Zoe Tahir worked on Robert Pattinson’s look for The Batman and revealed on her Instagram that some of the shots in the first trailer actually came from the actor’s test footage. “This day was supposed to be a test but the footage was actually released in the first teaser trailer in August 2020,” Tahir wrote. “It’s frustrating as an artist and perfectionist to not have control over things like that.” However, she concluded that she’s “learned to relax about things like this .. if the director and producers are happy .. then they’re happy!”
The first trailer for The Batman was released at the DC FanDome event in August 2020. Many talking points and theories came from the trailer, including discussion from fans surrounding Pattinson’s “emo” eye makeup. Live-action Batman actors typically wear black makeup around their eyes while dressed as the Dark Knight, as this covers the patches of skin that would otherwise be visible. However, whenever Bruce Wayne is seen immediately after removing his cowl, all traces of the makeup are usually gone.
The Batman opted to keep this makeup in place, and director Matt Reeves explained why. “I just loved the idea of taking off [the mask] and under that there’s the sweating and the dripping and the whole theatricality of becoming this character,” he said.
The makeup also adds a less-polished look to Pattinson’s Caped Crusader. According to Reeves, this unfinished and rough around the edges aesthetic was intentional. “He’s a rich guy who’s able to use the money to do this stuff, but he’s doing it himself. So I wanted, at a practical level, for you to see the seams in everything that he’s doing,” Reeves said. This can be seen in the visible seams of Batman’s cowl and even in the Bat-mobile, which is a modified muscle car instead of the highly-polished and uniquely designed tank seen in other Batman movies.
Pattinson’s version of Bruce Wayne wasn’t intended to be a playboy like previous iterations, with the actor describing the character as “a weirdo” both in and out of the costume. Pattinson has also stated that his Batman “practically lives in the gutter,” behaving more like a street criminal than a rich superhero. “I felt like I could get something out of that. Anyway, I could only play a superhero if he was really dirty!” added Pattinson.
The Batman is in theaters now.
Source: Instagram
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