In a new Warner Bros. Pictures press release, the studio and director Matt Reeves has announced that both Robert Pattinson and Andy Serkis will be playing a second character in THE BATMAN: PART II along with reprising their roles as The Batman/Bruce Wayne and Alfred Pennyworth, respectively.
Pattinson will be portraying the Batman of Zur-En-Arrh while Serkis will play Bat-Mite via a motion capture/CGI performance. The film’s incarnations of the Batman of Zur En-Arrh and Bat-Mite will be based heavily on Grant Morrison’s versions from BATMAN, R.I.P., though some Silver Age elements will be included.
The Batman of Zur-En-Arrh first appeared in the 1958 story “The Superman of Planet-X” in BATMAN #113. In the story, Batman is transported to the planet Zur-en-Arrh where he meets that world’s version of Batman. While there, Batman develops powers just like Superman and teams up with the Batman of Zur-en-Arrh to fight giant alien robots. In Grant Morrison’s BATMAN, R.I.P., Zur-en-Arrh is a violent alternate-personality version of Batman created by Bruce himself to allow Batman to continue to exist if Bruce Wayne was ever psychologically incapacitated.
Bat-Mite first appeared in 1959’s DETECTIVE COMICS #267 and was an imp-like 5th Dimensional being with magical powers who claims to be Batman’s “biggest fan.” In Morrison’s BATMAN, R.I.P., Bat-Mite was reimaged as a product of Batman’s imagination that exists to stop Zur-En-Arrh if and when that persona went out of control.
Like I said, I didn’t see this coming…
And neither did Matt Reeves …Happy April Fool’s Day! – Bill “Jett” Ramey
CLICK HERE for BOF’s coverage of THE PENGUIN. For BOF’s coverage of the upcoming sequel, visit BOF’s Everything About THE BATMAN: PART II Page. For BOF’s coverage of 2022’s THE BATMAN, visit BOF’s Everything About THE BATMAN Page.