The Bat (Television Series)

ComixVerse's The Bat, or simply The Bat, is an American web television series created for Netflix by Matt Reeves, based on the CV Comics character Batman, a costumed crime-fighter created by Bob Kane & Bill Finger. It is set in the ComixVerse, sharing continuity with other related television series, and is the second in a series of shows that make up Phase One: Heroes Rise. The series is produced by CV Television in association with Warner Bros. Television and 6th and Idaho Productions. Reeves served as the showrunner while Christopher Nolan and Zack Snyder served as consultants for the series.

Robert Pattinson stars as Bruce Wayne/Batman, a wealthy socialite-by-day who fights crime as a masked vigilante by night. Sean Pertwee, Ben McKenzie, Chris Chalk, Colin Farrel, Erik King, Donal Logue, Morena Baccarin, Kelcy Griffin, Erin Richards, Ruby Rose, Rachel Skarsten, Hailee Steinfeld, Dougray Scott, David Mazouz, Grayson McCouch, and Brette Taylor also star. The Bat entered development in late 2016, with Reeves hired and attached as showrunner in January 2017, and Pattinson was cast the following May. Filming took place in London, England, to give a distinctive and real-life counterpart aesthic for live-action Batman media.

Each season of The Bat is separated into four separate sections (10 episodes each), complete with 3 arc's which all contribute to an overall storyline. The first season was respectively released on Netflix on October 1 and November 19, 2021, as well as March 25 and July 22, 2022.

Premise
The series follows billionaire playboy, socialite philanthropist, and Wayne Enterprises CEO Bruce Wayne returning to Gotham City after 10 years abroad and his attempts to restoring his home city to it's former glory as both a responsible businessman and street vigilante.

Cast and Characters

 * Robert Pattinson as Bruce Wayne/Batman: A billionaire socialite, playboy and philanthropist, and CEO of Wayne Enterprises who dedicates himself to protecting Gotham City from it's influential criminal underworld as a masked vigilante. Showrunner Matt Reeves stated: "I just felt like well, what I'd love to do is to get a version of this Batman character where he's not yet fully formed. Where there's something to do in this context with who that guy would be in this world today, and to ground him in all of these broken ways. Because at the end of the day, this guy is doing all of this to deal with trauma in his past." Pattinson had avoided major franchises since his Twilight films, wanting to avoid paparazzi and finding those roles dull, but signed on to play Batman because he found the character's lack of superpowers interesting. Pattinson described his Batman incarnation as flawed, unlike traditional comic book characters and said his voice was inspired by his Lighthouse costar Williem Dafoe's voice in that film. In preparation, Pattinson trained in a number of offensive martial arts, believing they would best represent Batman's raw emotion, such as Judo, Taekwondo, Combat Sambo, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, the LINE System, Muay Thai, Kung Fu, Kyokushin, Silat, Wing Chun, and Krav Maga with instructor and John Wick alumnus Rigan Machado and watched media and read comics featuring what Pattinson called "the best interpretations of what makes [The Dark Knight] a rage-filled champion who fights for justice." In addition, Pattinson also familiarized himself with other fighting styles, such as Tai Chi, Parkour, Wrestling, Muay Thai, Kickboxing, Boxing, and Mixed Martial Arts in order to better demonstrate Batman's experience in world-wide martial arts.