The Batman (DC Extended Universe film)

The Batman is an upcoming superhero film based on the DC Comics character of the same name. Directed by Matt Reeves, the film is a reboot to the Batman film franchise, as it is the first individual Batman film since Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises. The film is co-written by Geoff Johns and Ben Affleck, the latter of whom stars as the titular character. Taking place after Justice League, the film focuses on Batman returning to crime-fighting in Gotham City, but finding out that trying to escape his past is not as simple as it seems. The film stars Ben Affleck, Joe Manganiello, Leslie Grace, Tyler Posey, Jared Leto, Margot Robbie, J.K. Simmons, and Frank Sivero. The film is the first of The Batman trilogy, which includes The Batman: Arkham Asylum and The Batman: No Man's Land.

Premise
The Batman focuses on Batman resuming standard crime-fighting in Gotham following the formation of the Justice League. Bruce starts to rekindle his old team, including Dick Grayson (formerly Robin, now Nightwing) and Barbara Gordon (formerly Batgirl, now Oracle). While trying to take down the crime syndicate led by Black Mask, Batman and his team find themselves in a battle with Deathstroke, a superpowered mercenary.

Cast
The film features Ernie Hudson, Arden Cho, and Joseph Morgan in small roles. Hudson portrays Wayne Tech specialist Lucius Fox, who helps Batman with various gadget improvements. Cho portrays Black Mask's assistant Miss Li, a character from the animated film Batman: Under the Red Hood. Morgan portrays Cameron Walker, a version of the Batman villain Killer Moth, who is one of Black Mask's mercenaries who uses a mechanical jetpack-wing mechanism and a moth-esque gas mask. Ian Somerhalder appears in a mid-credits scene as Jonathan Crane, the main antagonist of the second film.
 * Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne/Batman
 * Joe Manganiello as Slade Wilson/Deathstroke
 * Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Barbara Gordon/Oracle
 * Tyler Posey as Dick Grayson/Nightwing
 * Jared Leto as the Joker
 * Margot Robbie as Harleen Quinzel/Harley Quinn
 * J.K. Simmons as Commissioner Jim Gordon
 * Frank Sivero as Roman Sionis/Black Mask
 * Ghassan Massoud as Ra's al Ghul

Influences
During the development of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and early development for The Batman, Geoff Johns noted that much of the DC Extended Universe's Batman would be based on the version of the character from Batman: Earth One, which Johns himself wrote. Like Earth One, Affleck's Batman is less than perfect, making various mistakes. The trilogy itself revolves around Batman's past mistakes, an influence from Earth One as well as other comics such as A Death in the Family and The Dark Knight Returns.

Much of the story in The Batman was influenced by the animated film Batman: Under the Red Hood, particularly the inclusion of Nightwing and Black Mask. Like in Under the Red Hood, Black Mask breaks the Joker out and hires him, however in the animated film this was so that he could kill Red Hood, whereas in The Batman it was to lure Batman and Deathstroke so that they would be forced to fight. The Batman also features Batman visiting Ra's al Ghul, a distinct part of Under the Red Hood.

The aesthetic of Gotham City as well as Deathstroke's costume design were inspired by the game Batman: Arkham Origins.

Trivia

 * Going with the trend starting in 2016 to feature classic or modern rock music with trailers for blockbuster films, the first trailer for The Batman features the song "Simple Man" by Lynyrd Skynyrd. Many have noted the relevance of the song's lyrics to the relationship between Batman and his parents, comparing it to the Thomas Wayne monologue in the first cinematic trailer for the game Batman: Arkham Knight.
 * Both J.K. Simmons and Joe Manganiello were featured in the 2002 Spider-Man film, the former portraying J. Jonah Jameson Jr. and the latter portraying Flash Thompson.
 * Both Tyler Posey and Arden Cho were featured in the MTV series Teen Wolf.