I was one of the few folks in my circle of friends who was pretty okay with the announcement that actor Robert Pattinson would take on the cape and cowl as the Dark Knight in director Matt Reeve’s The Batman. Pattinson gets so much Hell for his role in the Twilight films—from me, even—but the dude has acting chops and has progressively gotten better with every gig; watch The Lighthouse for proof-positive of this. I was (and still am) optimistic, if cautiously so.

That optimism was reaffirmed this weekend with the reveal of the first teaser trailer for The Batman during the DC Fandome online event, the capper of a weekend that included new looks at (sigh) Zack Snyder’s cut of Justice League, a new Wonder Woman 1984 (yay!), and news on the Shazam! and Suicide Squad sequels. Looks at Pattinson and an all-star cast that includes Zoe Kravitz, Paul Dano, Colin Farrell, and Jeffrey Wright are giving me slightly darker and dingier Batman: Year One vibes and I’m here. For. It. If you haven’t already, take a gander at the trailer below.

Reeves said in an interview during the Fandome event that films like Chinatown and The French Connection moved how he approached The Batman and, between Pattinson giving off a neo-punk aesthetic, Kravitz’s proto-Catwoman get-up, Wright already embodying the grizzled fatigue of Jim Gordon, this film is going to dripping with pulp and 1970s crime-noir.

Yes, please: all of that.

The Batman hits theaters in 2021.

About The Author

Managing Editor

Jed W. Keith is managing editor for FreakSugar and has been a writer with the site since its start in 2014. He’s a pop culture writer, social media coordinator, PR writer, and technical and educational writer for a variety of companies and organizations. Currently, Jed writes for FreakSugar, coordinates social media for Rocketship Entertainment and GT Races, and writes press copy and pop culture articles for a variety of companies and outlets. His work can also be seen in press releases for the Master Musicians Festival, a Kentucky event that drawn acts such as Willie Nelson, the Counting Crows, Steve Earle, and Wynona Judd. His work was featured in the 2018 San Diego Comic-Con convention book for his interview with comic creator Mike Mignola about the 25th anniversary of the first appearance of Hellboy. Jed also does his best to educate the next generation of pop culture enthusiasts, teaching social studies classes--including History Through Film--to high school students.