Even after two trailers, The Batman has yet to prove what should be its biggest selling point to broader audiences who may be burned out on the Caped Crusader. DC FanDome returned this year with a lot of exciting surprises from various projects in the DC multiverse. That included the release of The Batman's second trailer, offering more information about what to expect from director Matt Reeves' take on the iconic superhero.
Originally, Ben Affleck was supposed to star, direct, and write The Batman, but after his exit from the DCEU, it was overhauled into a solo film introducing Robert Pattinson as the new Dark Knight. Its narrative exists entirely separate from the established DCEU to date and will focus on a much younger Bruce Wayne in his second year as the Gotham vigilante. As he squares off with The Riddler, played by Paul Dano, Bruce also slowly learns of his family's supposed direct ties to the rampant corruption in his city. Pattinson and Dano are joined by a star-studded ensemble including Jeffrey Wright as Commissioner Gordon, Zoë Kravitz as Catwoman, Colin Farrell as The Penguin, and Andy Serkis as Alfred, among others.
Reeves unveiled the first The Batman trailer during DC FanDome 2020 and it generated big buzz and generally positive feedback from fans. A year later, the second trailer was released and was met with the same enthusiastic reception from fans. However, as great as the film looks to be in cast, direction, and acting, thus far, the film's marketing has yet to really sell itself to broader audiences in terms of setting itself apart from what's come before. So far, the marketing hasn't made a case that it's a fresh and new take on the character, which is its most important goal. The argument from fans is that it's a Batman who is truly the World's Greatest Detective, which has yet to be shown on screen, as well as a Batman who is much younger and earlier in his career, but those points have been largely absent in the trailers. If Warner Bros. truly wants to differentiate The Batman for the general audience outside of the fanbase that will see it no matter what, the trailers and marketing have to start focusing on those elements of Batman's story.
Not that the trailers aren't well done; they're entertaining and build up the central mystery of the narrative. They also do a great job showcasing Robert Pattinson's version of the Batman. However, they have not yet done much to separate this film from previous Batman movies, particularly the dark and gritty take of the recent decade. There have already been seven live-action films headlined by the character not including Ben Affleck's appearances as the hero in Zack Snyder's Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League. Four actors have played live-action Batman on the big screen since Tim Burton's Batman in 1989, with Pattinson being the fifth. It's understandable that people might be burned out on the Bat. If The Batman wants to appeal to moviegoers outside of its usual target demographic, it needs to be bolder and more innovative with its marketing.
It can do this by shifting some of its promotional focus to the new things that The Batman is offering. For starters, it could show more of Bruce's state of mind as someone who's relatively new to the role – or even emphasize that he's new to crimefighting, period. It could also emphasize his frustrations over feeling incapable of kickstarting the change he wants to see in Gotham — something that Reeves said would be part of the narrative. Highlighting the action sequences and burgeoning mystery is good, but the public has seen various iterations of these in the last few decades. The movie's marketing now faces its biggest challenge: Before it releases next year, The Batman needs to convince casual moviegoers that Reeves and Pattinson truly have something special and unique and that it's worth investing in.
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