The U.K. is undergoing further restrictions due to a surge in coronavirus cases and the result is a five-week lockdown implemented by the Prime Minister that will begin on Thursday. There has been some concern that film productions going on in the area, such as THE BATMAN, could be affected by the lockdown and have to delay filming due to the surge. As of now, filming is still being given the go-ahead but, the government has warned that it is proceeding with caution.
Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden headed to social media to provide clarification on the matter by saying "As the Prime Minister has just confirmed we will be taking additional restrictions from Thursday. We understand the anxiety & impact these will have, and will ensure they last not a day longer than necessary. The changes mean people should WFH [work from home] where possible. But where this is not possible, travel to a place of work will be permitted – e.g. this includes (but not exhaustive) elite sport played behind closed doors, film & tv production, telecoms workers. We understand people will have a lot of questions and @DCMS officials & ministers will be working through these and detailed implications with sectors over the coming days."
This has to be good news for THE BATMAN or any production going on in the U.K. at the current moment. THE BATMAN has already suffered several delays, with the first taking place due to the shutdown of the entertainment industry back in March due to the pandemic. More recently the film's star, Robert Pattinson, tested positive for COVID-19 which led to another delay in filming. As far as we can, everything is back on track with the project but the looming lockdown had to a cause of concern for all involved with the film.
THE BATMAN stars Pattinson as the Caped Crusader and he's joined by a cast that includes Zoe Kravitz, Paul Dano, Colin Farrell, Andy Serkis, John Turturro, Peter Sarsgaard, and Jeffrey Wright. Matt Reeves is at the helm of the project which is being described as a noir-driven story that will begin with a tortured Bruce Wayne around two years into his crime-fighting career as Batman.
Let's hope the film doesn't have to suffer any more delays and filming can go on as planned. THE BATMAN was originally set for release on June 25, 2021, before it was pushed back to October 1, 2021, after its first delay in shooting. When Warner Bros. pushed DUNE from December of this year to October 1, 2021, it became clear they wouldn't have two of their major releases competing with each other and THE BATMAN was soon moved again to March 4, 2022.
Do YOU think THE BATMAN will see more delays?