We’re already getting some big news from the DC FanDome event today, including the reveal of a new Wonder Woman 1984 trailer, and a look at what promises to be an awesome Gotham Knights game. The latest information to come from the virtual show though is that Robert Pattinson’s The Batman is officially taking place on a different Earth than the main DCEU world of Justice League.
Walter Hamada, the current head of DC Films, announced on today’s Multiverse 101 FanDome panel that The Batman is set on a separate Earth, and focuses on Bruce Wayne’s second year as a crime-fighter. Although the note that the Matt Reeves-directed Dark Knight picture is taking this approach to the character is not a surprise, based on what we’ve already heard, it’s still good to receive word on the dimensional split.
According to Hamada:
“There’s one earth of this beginning Justice League and there’s another Earth where there’s this growing Year Two Batman… Matt Reeves can continue to build out his Gotham. Those are things that we can do because we don’t have to worry about how that would impact Aquaman 2 or The Flash, because it’s all just part of the multiverse.”
The point about Reeves being able to flesh out his own Batman universe without having to step on the toes of the DCEU is particularly welcome, in that it opens the door to different takes on the Joker and other parts of Gotham’s history. Of course, the multiverse-hopping events of The Flash also means that Pattinson’s Bruce Wayne could end up making a cameo in the core DCEU without necessarily impacting upon his development in the Reeves series.
Furthermore, The CW’s recent “Crisis on Infinite Earths” epic is unlikely to be repeated anytime soon in the DCEU, at least in terms in simplifying the different universes. We’re pleased that The Batman will have the chance to tell fresh stories, then, including what promises to be a back-to-basics approach to the character, going on the artwork released ahead of the FanDome event.
There’ll no doubt be many more teases of The Batman at DC FanDome this weekend, so we’ll be sure to bring you all the latest stories as they come in. Production on the movie is only just starting up again in the U.K., so there may not be much footage to show fans, but we wouldn’t be surprised if Warner Bros. are keen to show off more of the anticipated 2021 release regardless.