'The Batman' director gives update on the film after coronavirus shuts down production

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Like many other film projects, production on "The Batman" is on pause due to the coronavirus pandemic. However, that hasn’t stopped director Matt Reeves from finding ways to work on the film while self-isolating in London. 

Filming of the Robert Pattinson-led Batman movie was about a quarter of the way through when the pandemic forced the DC Comics film to halt production on March 14. Speaking to Deadline, Reeves noted that just because production has been shut down since doesn’t mean there’s no work to be done to perfect the movie.

"We’re not officially editing right now," he told the outlet. "We’ve actually shot a quarter of the movie and I have been pouring through dailies, looking at takes, and what’s to come."

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Reeves notes that filming was about to end in London and relocate to Liverpool, but now believes that they’ll stay in London once things resume. However, he made sure to note that "the situation is fluid."

Director Matt Reeves gave an update on 'The Batman' amid the COVID-19 pandemic. (Joel Ryan/Invision/AP, File)

Unfortunately, he was unable to give any details about the film’s plot other than what has already been reported.

In addition to Pattinson taking on the role of Bruce Wayne, Colin Farrell stars as the Penguin, Paul Dano as the Riddler and Zoe Kravitz as Catwoman. Deadline also reports that it won’t be an origin story, but will instead find Bruce Wayne early on in his career as Batman chasing down a mystery that brings him deep into the underbelly of Gotham City. 

"It took me two years to work on that story, and it’s a very specific mystery noir that’s been really thought-out by me and my partners," Reeves said.

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He went on to add that the pause in production has allowed him to reexamine the tone of the film.

A man dressed as Batman sits on a motorcycle as filming continues in Glasgow for the new movie 'The Batman.' (Andrew Milligan/PA Images via Getty Images)

"It happens any time you shoot anything. The unexpected — happy accidents and things you didn’t quite expect: That is the lightning in a bottle for something that is alive," he added. "I would say that the changes really have to do with ‘Oh, seeing the tone of this’ with these scenes we haven’t done which connect to that part of the storyline. It feels like there might be an opportunity to explore some of that unexpected tone that we found. With these movies, you never have enough prep time, because they’re so complex and so enormous in so many ways. It also gives me a moment to think about the larger sequences that have yet to come up and how I want to realize those."

The director also took a moment to eulogize esteemed dialect coach Andrew Jack, who was working on the film before he died due to complications from COVID-19. Jack was known for his work on both "Lord of the Rings" and "Star Wars" among many others. 

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"He was a lovely and special person and it’s one of those things where it makes you re-prioritize and realize how fragile everything is," Reeves mused. "I’m tremendously focused on the movie, and, of course, it’s nice to be able to stop. But the real thing I’ve been thinking about is the state the world is in, and hoping that everyone is going to be OK and that everyone is going to social distance and do everything to be safe, because it’s a very scary time."