THE BATMAN | Designers Talk Batsuit

In an interview with SLASHFILM.COM, the designers of THE BATMAN‘s Batsuit worn by Robert Pattinson in the film — Glyn Dillon and David Crossman –talk about the new suit they designed for the movie.  Here are a few highlights…

Dillion and Crossman strived for realism and to make the Batsuit look very DIY.  Says Dillion, “Dave’s [Crossman] a military expert, so Dave’s influence is the reality of what soldiers have worn throughout history. I just love that feeling of things feeling real. So, it was great to be given the opportunity to work on such an iconic character and put our spin on it. It’s great fun, and who could turn that down?”

Vietnam War-era military suits were an influence.  “Vietnam is always in there somewhere,” said Crossman.  “One of the things we took apart was the Vietnam-era flak jacket. Inside the bulletproof material are actually layers of Kevlar fabric, but layered on top of each other, so we thought, ‘Well, what we can do is form these or cut these into the shapes of the panels that you see on the torso of the Batsuit.’

The cowl has a “Grim Reaper” look about it.  Says Dillion:  “With the cowl, it is a more fantastical element of it, inasmuch as I like the idea of it feeling like the grim reaper, so that it’s shaped more skull-like, and then maybe with the suggestion that he might have stretched the leather over a skull in order to get those shapes. Then the neckpieces are like vertebrae. So, it’s got this grim reaper feel to it.”

Adam West’s Bat-cowl was also an inspiration.  Says Dillion: “[Matt Reeves] liked the stitching around the top of the forehead, which was inspired by the Adam West, to be honest.  Having the little piece over the nose, again, that was kind of inspired by the Adam West [cowl].”

About the Bat-symbol on the chest: “I purposely looked at lots of images of bats in flight to see what shapes they might make,” said Dillion. “It did have tiny little ears because that’s literally where the real ears of the bat were. That’s the one that we went within the chest.  I think it was a great idea to have it used as a weapon. Everything on the suit, including the cape, everything had its purpose. It made it very grounded.”

Great stuff!  Personally, I’m a fan of just about all the Batsuits we’ve seen in the live-action Batman films.  But as someone whose favorite version of Batman is when he’s gritty, grounded, and realistic, the suit in THE BATMAN sported by Robert Pattinson is now #1 on my list.  I also totally dig the Adam West influence on the cowl!

There’s much more about the Batsuit in the article, so CLICK HERE or any of the other links provided to check out the entire thing — I highly recommend it. – Bill “Jett” Ramey