'The Batman' Will Have A Darker, Brooding Defender Of Gotham, Confirms Co-Star Andy Serkis

The Batman is currently waiting to resume production after DC Comics movie starring Robert Pattinson as The Caped Crusader was put on hiatus due to concerns about the spread of coronavirus. But that's not stopping Andy Serkis, who is playing the new incarnation of Bruce Wayne's caretaker and butler Alfred Pennyworth, from teasing what fans can expect from the new Dark Knight being crafted by War for the Planet of the Apes director Matt Reeves.

Andy Serkis recently had an interview with LADBible, and the outlet asked the actor if we can expect to see a "darker, broodier" Batman in this latest iteration of the DC Comics franchise. Serkis confirmed:

"I would say that's not far from the truth. It's very much about the emotional connection between Alfred and Bruce. That's really at the center of it. And it is a really exquisite script that Matt has written."

Christopher Nolan made the Alfred Pennyworth role for Michael Caine a considerable one in his Dark Knight trilogy, turning the character into more than a wry source for jokes, saccharine wisdom and plot exposition. But Serkis isn't looking to any other Alfred performances to inform his work on the movie one way or the other. Serkis explained:

"[Michael Caine] was fantastic. His Alfred was legendary, I couldn't even begin to go there, really. You find it for yourself. It's like playing these iconic roles in Shakespeare, you go back, you revisit them and you have to make it your own, and see what it is about he character that connects with you and your personal Venn diagram."

Serkis said he was roughly halfway done shooting his role as Alfred in The Batman when production ended, so he still has plenty of work to do. As of now, he has no idea when production could resume, but regardless, the actor added, "It's going to be a beautiful film."

The Batman also stars Colin Farrell as The Penguin, Zoe Kravitz as Selina Kyle/Catwoman, Paul Dano as Edward Nashton/The Riddler, Jeffrey Wright as Commissioner Gordon, John Turturro as crime boss Carmine Falcone, Peter Sarsgaard as new character Gotham District Attorney Gil Colson, and newcomer Jayme Lawson as a mayoral candidate named Bella ReálThe Batman is currently slated for release on October 1, 2021, after being pushed back from an earlier summer date.