Matt Reeves Explains The Batman’s Connection to HBO Max’s Gotham PD

The grand finale at DC FanDome today was not surprisingly The Batman panel, which finally gave us our first real sense of what to expect from the Robert Pattinson/Matt Reeves reboot of the Caped Crusader. And during the event, the director also addressed how the film’s universe will connect to the recently announced HBO Max series Gotham PD.

Pattinson stars as a younger version of Bruce Wayne/Batman, and Reeves writes and directs the highly anticipated film, which got a new trailer during the panel. Reeves confirmed that the film is set during “Year 2” of Batman’s career, but Gotham PD will be set during “Year 1.” (Be sure to also check out all of DC FanDome’s Biggest and Best Announcements as well as the full DC FanDome Schedule while you’re here.)

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Want a closer look at the trailer? We’ve done the work for you! Here are 63 stills, screencapping just about every unique still in the first official teaser trailer for The Batman:

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“The idea of this story was a story in which Gotham, which has this depth of corruption, and the idea that we could do a series that is going deeper into an aspect of it, which in this case is the corrupt police department, the corrupt inner workings of the city,” said Reeves. “And the way we’re gonna do this series… [Executive producer] Terence Winter is just an incredible writer, so the idea that we got him to do this, just is literally a dream. The idea is, we go back to year one, and year one is the beginning of the first emergence, the first appearance of this masked vigilante that starts to unsettle the city, and you start to see the story through the POV of these corrupt cops, and one in particular. And the story is actually a battle for his soul.”

Reeves didn’t elaborate on who this cop is, but it’s clear he will form some kind of connection with the mystery of Batman.

“He’s a cop over generations,” continues Reeves. “And the history of corruption in Gotham is enormous and goes back many years, and the story is like, as you realize that there’s this myth building in the background, you’re actually in a new place where you’ve never seen these characters before – some of them we’ll touch on that you may have seen in the comics, but others are totally new. Then you can go down an avenue and go into detail that you couldn’t do in a movie, and to go into these rich places and meet entirely new characters that Terence is going to create.”

For more on The Batman, check out The Batman costume camera test and Batmobile photos from the set. Or watch our mini-doc on the Batman: Year One R-Rated reboot that almost was.

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Rocksteady’s Suicide Squad, Not Gotham Knights, Continues The Arkham Games’ Story

If you’re looking for the continuation of the story established in Batman: Arkham Asylum, Arkham City, and Arkham Knight, it’s not in the upcoming WB Montreal game starring the Bat-family that more closely resembles those titles. As we learned at DC FanDome, it’s Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League that is a continuation of the Arkhamverse.

As revealed during the Suicide Squad game’s panel, Kill the Justice League continues the narrative established in the previous Rocksteady Arkham games. Some of the narrative threads established in that trilogy will be picked up here, although specifics weren’t shared. We do know the game tells an original story where they’re apparently tasked with taking down the Justice League, including Superman.

On the other hand, Gotham Knights will not be–WB Games Montreal told ComicBook, “Gotham Knights is an original story set in DC’s Batman Universe and not connected to the Arkham series.”

This news might come as somewhat of a surprise, given that Kill the Justice League appears to have a more lighthearted tone of the two games. But in a way, it makes sense: Kill the Justice League is the new game from Rocksteady, whereas Gotham Knights comes from WB Games Montreal. The latter studio did develop Batman: Arkham Origins, but that’s not considered part of the core trilogy of Arkham games.

Unfortunately, this means it’ll be a while yet before the Arkham story is continued–Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League will be released in 2022 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X. Gotham Knights, on the other hand, will release in 2021 for PC, PS4, Xbox Series X, PS4, and Xbox One.

Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League Revealed At DC Fandome

After a long wait, Rocksteady has finally revealed its next game with an in-depth look at DC Fandome, titled Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. The studio had announced its Suicide Squad game with the promise of more details to come and a teaser image of a target over Superman’s head. The teaser-trailer expanded on that concept and announced a release date of 2022 on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X.

The debut trailer shown during DC Fandome featured several members of the squad goofing off and then reluctantly springing into action against enemy forces. It ended with Superman showing up and apparently killing a civilian, as the Suicide Squad realized they would have to take down the hero.

A follow-up with host Will Arnett suggested the four main characters will be Harley Quinn, Deadshot, King Shark, and Captain Boomerang, tasked with defeating the Justice League. It’s 1-4 player co-op with all four characters represented, though you can play single-player and have your companions played by AI and switch between them.

Arnett also conducted a brief interview with Rocksteady’s Sefton Hill, who said that this game is part of the Arkham universe. That means that fans will see connections to that series, though they didn’t specify what those might be.

Earlier in the event, we got a look at WB Montreal’s next game, Gotham Knights. That was promoted with a week of teaser puzzles that dropped clues about Batman villains ranging from the Court of Owls to Two-Face. It takes place in a world without Bruce Wayne, so the co-op game focuses on various other members of the Bat-family.

Meanwhile, this reveal comes as Rocksteady deals with allegations that it failed to act in response to reports of workplace harassment. In response, one of the writers of Suicide Squad asked to have her name removed from the game. The studio released a letter claiming that most of the female employees who reported issues to the company have since said that the culture has improved, and subsequently issued a full statement on its response.

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Suicide Squad Game Is Set in Batman: Arkham Universe

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League may focus on Task Force X taking down the beloved superhero team, and the universe the game takes place in is actually one that will be familiar to fans of developer Rocksteady Studios.

Speaking during DC FanDome, Rocksteady Studios’ Sefton Hill confirmed Suicide Squad is a “continuation of the Arkhamverse” that began in Batman: Arkham Asylum and came to its seeming end in Batman: Arkham Knight. Hill explained that Suicide Squad is part of this world and will actually let players see the continuation of plot threads and characters first introduced in those Arkham games.

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“This is a continuation of the Arkhamverse, so a lot of the threads and storylines you’re going to see come to fruition in this game,” Hill said.

This also means that Suicide Squad will not be in the same universe as WB Games Montreal’s upcoming Gotham Knights, which focuses on the extended Bat-family of heroes in a new continuity.

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Rocksteady confirmed Suicide Squad is set for a 2022 release for PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC, and the Kill the Justice League playable characters will feature Harley Quinn and more.

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Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League Playable Characters Announced

During a panel at DC FanDome on Saturday, the main characters for Rocksteady’s upcoming game, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League were revealed, along with the announcement trailer.

The four main characters are:

  • Harley Quinn a.k.a. Dr. Harleen Quinzel, the “mistress of mayhem”
  • King Shark a.k.a. Nanaue, the “demigod humanoid shark”
  • Deadshot a.k.a. Floyd Lawton, the “most dangerous marksman alive”
  • Captain Boomerang a.k.a. Digger Harkness, the “Aussie assassin extraordinaire”

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Each member of the squad will have moves and abilities unique and specific to themselves, along with a slew of customizable weapons, all while trying to bring down the Justice League – including the all powerful, otherworldly Superman.

Rocksteady also revealed the game will allow single player or grouping up with friends to play 1 to 4 player co-op, all while swapping between characters at any moment.

The game will be released in 2022 on Xbox Series X, PS5, and PC.

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Rocksteady announced the Suicide Squad game earlier this month, revealing only an image of Superman and the title of the game.

For more on DC FanDome, stay tuned to IGN’s complete coverage, including the latest on WB Games Montreal’s rumored Batman game and check out the full DC FanDome schedule and how to watch it live.

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Jessie Wade is Homepage Editor at IGN and is very hyped for this game. Follow her on Twitter @jessieannwade.

The Batman: First Trailer Arrives And It Has A Crush On The Riddler

Well, this certainly isn’t like any other live-action Batman movie we’ve seen. The first trailer for The Batman was revealed at the DC FanDome virtual convention, giving us a much better look at Robert Pattinson as the Caped Crusader, as well as an idea of who the primary villain is.

We already know that Selina Kyle (Zoe Kravitz), Oswald Cobblepot (Colin Farrell), and Riddler (Paul Dano) will figure into the movie. However, based on this first trailer, it looks like Riddler will be getting the most screentime of the three. In the two-minute clip, it’s shown that Riddler is leaving a trail of bodies with notes and coded messages to Batman, indicating the villain is obsessed with him. The Riddler also seems to be painting Batman as a “liar” and seeking to expose him.

It’s refreshing to see the trailer center so heavily on Riddler and that this portrayal is being taken in a much different direction than the only other big-screen Riddler fans have seen (Jim Carrey’s in Batman Forever). This take on the character is dark, demented, and murderous.

There’s plenty else to see in the trailer, including a gang of thugs wearing facepaint that seem somewhat reminiscent of a certain Clown Prince of Crime, as well as several other characters you’ll meet in the film. Of course, there’s lots of Bruce Wayne brooding going on too, because what’s a Batman movie without that? In face, Warner Bros. released a trio of stills pulled from the trailer that show Bruce off perfectly.

Director Matt Reeves also had plenty to say about what to expect the film. It’s important to note this is not another Batman origin story. Instead, it finds him in his second year as the Dark Knight as the Riddler’s murders are being carried out. Selina is not yet Catwoman in the film, and Cobblepot is not the criminal kingpin he will one day become–he also hates being called Penguin, which is a staple of the character.

Given that this is just the first look at The Batman, there will be plenty more for director Matt Reeves to share in the coming months–especially given that only 25-30% of the film has been shot so far.

The Batman is currently scheduled to hit theaters on October 1, 2021. For other news out of FanDome, take a look at our breakdown of the Zack Snyder’s Justice League trailer, as well as a new look at Wonder Woman 1984.

Wonder Woman 1984 New Trailer Breakdown – 12 Things To Know

Wonder Woman is back in action and facing off against a transformed Cheetah in this new DCEU trailer.

DC FanDome kicked off with a panel for Wonder Woman 1984. The panel brought together the stars of the movie, along with director Patty Jenkins and surprise guest, original Wonder Woman Lynda Carter, to answer fan questions about the movie–but the real highlight was the new Wonder Woman 1984 trailer.

While it lacked the absolutely choice remix of New Order’s Blue Monday that the first trailer had, it provided all sorts of new information and clues to what we can expect whenever the movie is finally released. Don’t get your hopes up as it won’t be coming direct-to-digital any time soon, according to director Patty Jenkins. We got an up-close and personal look not only at the new design for Kristen Wiig’s Cheetah, but also some hints about Pedro Pascal’s Max Lord, the resurrection of Chris Pine’s Steve Trevor, and what exactly Diana is doing with her time in the 1980s.

So, with that in mind, let’s go scene-by-scene and break down the latest Wonder Woman 1984 trailer. Here are 12 things to pay close attention to as you watch.

Gotham Knights Announced, Is A Co-Op Game Where Batman Is Dead

WB Games Montreal has finally revealed its long-rumored Batman project at DC Fandome, after months of teasers and rumors. As the rumors suggested, the game is called Gotham Knights, and features multiple playable characters from within the Bat-family. It’s coming to PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X in 2021.

The reveal trailer showed Gotham City grappling with the death of Bruce Wayne. Before he went, though, he recorded a message calling the four protagonists into action: Nightwing, Robin, Batgirl, and Red Hood. The trailer showed each of them in action, including heroes fighting together. A separate press release confirmed it can be played solo or with two-player co-op. The cinematic ended with confirmation that the story will include the Court of Owls, with an eerie recitation of the poem from the comic book arc.

The developer chat and extended gameplay demo that followed seemed to suggest some degree of a live aspect to the game, with the ability to customize your hero and enemies shown with HP, XP, and level indicators. The studio said it chose each hero with for their “unique starting point and a long runway for growth.” A press release said players can “reinvent themselves into their own version of the Dark Knight.” The demo also showed a boss battle against Mr. Freeze.

The press release also outlined how we can expect the four characters to play differently. Batgirl is a hacker who uses her tonfa and martial arts. Nightwing is a more acrobatic fighter who uses Escrima sticks. Red Hood is a vigilante who uses a combination of traditional and high-tech weapons, including firearms. Finally, Robin is a prodigy with a background in psychological warfare, who uses a quarterstaff and stealth techniques.

The studio has been dropping hints about the game since last September, but those teasers have accelerated in the last week. WB Montreal announced that its next game will be featured in a developer panel at the show, and then it began dropping clues through a teaser site that revealed a map and references to villains like Two-Face.

WB Montreal’s developer talk isn’t the only DC Comics-based video game planned for Fandome. At 5 PM PT Rocksteady will show Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. For more details on event, check out the full DC Fandome schedule.

Cheetah Revealed In Wonder Woman: 1984 Trailer At DC FanDome

Just as expected, a new trailer for Wonder Woman 1984 has arrived during the virtual event DC FanDome. The virtual convention kicked off on Saturday with the Wonder Woman panel, which featured the stars and director of the film. It primarily consisted of a Q&A with fans, but the panel concluded with a pretty sweet new trailer for Wonder Woman 1984.

During the opening to DC FanDome director Patty Jenkins was joined by the cast: Gal Gadot (Wonder Woman), Pedro Pascal (Maxwell Lord), Chris Pine (Steve Trevor), and Kristen Wiig (Barbara Minerva/Cheetah). They answered questions from fans, including one from Lynda Carter who played Wonder Woman on the iconic 1975 TV series. The panel came to an end with a brand-new trailer for Wonder Woman: 1984, and it was awesome. We got a final look at Wiig as Cheetah.

Jenkins mentioned that the October release date is still sticking during the panel. “It’s so great on the big screen,” the director explained. “We all work so hard to bring something that would be a big, visual, spectacular, great time. So we’re going to stick it out, and we believe in you know putting it in the cinema”

While WW84 is still a couple months off from hitting theaters on October 2–if that still happens–ideas for a third Wonder Woman movie are already flowing. “And so there’s one more thing I’m craving, which is true to her theme, which is true to everything that she stands for, that I’m like, ‘Ooh, there’s one more chapter of Wonder Woman that we don’t quite get,'” director Patty Jenkins said during a set visit. “‘It doesn’t quite make sense for this movie. It didn’t for the last either.'”

The aforementioned set visit did clue us in on what we can expect from the October movie, and you can read all about the things we learned from GameSpot’s visit to the WW84 set.

Milestone Comics Returns With New Static Shock Comics in 2021

Static Shock will get a new comic book series in 2021 as part of a larger revival of Milestone Comics as a DC imprint.

In a surprise DC Fandome panel, Milestone Comics co-founder Denys Cowan appeared alongside DC publisher Jim Lee, filmmaker Reggie Hudlin, and Static Shock voice actor Phil Lamarr to announce the return of Milestone and its heroes.

A new digital Static Shock Comic will debut in February 2021, along with a Static original graphic novel by Hudlin and artist Kyle Baker. Other Milestone heroes like Icon and Rocket will also get their own comic book series written by Hudlin and Denys Cowan.

Cowan also shared that there are a lot more plans being discussed for Static and Milestone beyond just new books. There are apparently active conversations around films, podcasts, and other media.

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As part of the Milestone revival, classic issues will be digitized and made available online starting in September 2020, and DC will make select Milestone comics available to read for free for the next 24 hours via DC’s digital comics site.

Milestone Comics was found in 1993 by prominent Black comic creators and it was where Dwayne McDuffie co-created characters like Static Shock.

Check out IGN for more news from DC Fandome including reveals on Batman: Gotham Knights, Suicide Squad, Wonder Woman, and more.

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Matt T.M. Kim is a reporter for IGN.