The Batman is resuming production after the film was shutdown due to a positive COVID-19 test from none other than Robert Pattinson himself.
"Following a hiatus for COVID 19 quarantine precautions, filming has now resumed on The Batman in the UK," a spokesperson for Warner Bros. Pictures tells Variety (opens in new tab). According to the outlet, Pattinson has been cleared to return to work after a September 3 shutdown was put in place when he tested positive for COVID-19. Although the studio and his representative never officially acknowledged that R.Patts had contracted the virus, Variety confirmed an initial Vanity Fair report stating he did, which we reported on two weeks ago.
The September 3 shutdown came just after the film had returned to production September 1, after shooting around a quarter of the film before the COVID-19 shutdown across the movie industry went into effect. The September shutdown halted filming at Leavesden Studios, although some sets were still worked on during the break. Pattinson quarantined himself for the last three weeks, and has since fully recovered.
The Batman, Matt Reeves' take on the caped crusader, was originally set to release in June 2021 but has since been pushed to October of the same year. It's unlikely this three week delay will push the film even further, but it's unclear what the future holds for film production. The film will tell the story of a younger, less experienced Bruce Wayne dealing with past trauma and the troubles of Gotham City. The cast includes Pattinson, Colin Farrell, Andy Serkis, Zoë Kravitz, Paul Dano, Jeffrey Wright, and more.