The Caped Crusader has met an enemy he cannot defeat:
The coronavirus.
According to Vanity Fair, Robert Pattinson has tested positive for the COVID-19-.
As a result, filming of The Batman has been halted… just days after the superhero blockbuster resumed work at studios outside of London.
Warner Bros. has not confirmed this news specificially, but the production studio did tell Vanity Fair in a statement:
“A member of The Batman production tested positive for Covid-19, and is isolating in accordance with established protocols. Filming is temporarily paused.”
This is the second time the wildly anticipated has been forced too stop production, with the first being in March as the coronavirus pandemic swept through the globe.
The film, whose trailer lit the Internet on fiire just a few years ago, is scheduled to star Pattinson as Bruce Wayne/Batman in the character’s early years as a detective and vigilante.
The Batman is slated to open in theaters on Octoberr 1, 2021.
But no one can say for certain whether this date will be met and shooting/editing will be finished in time.
Pattinson, for his part, has not yet said anything about this reported diagnosis.
But he told GQ earlier this summer that he was social distancing in a London apartment, rented for him by WarnerBros., with girlfriend Suki Waterhouse.
“Literally, I’m just barely doing anything,” he told the outlet in May, noting that he’s mostly ignored his trainer, also hired for him by The Batman crew.
Despite the initial delay in production, director Matt Reeves was able to piece together a teaser for the DC Comics picture at the virtual DC FanDome event last month.
Reeves said that, prior to the shutdown, they were able to film about “25 percent” of the movie, some of which can be seen in the aforementioned trailer.
“As many of you probably already know, we were in the beginning stages of production when COVID hit, so now I’m very anxious to get back to work and continue to form this beloved character,” Pattinson (virtually) said at this same event.
“I’ve always been a massive fan.”
He added just two weeks ago:
“I’m not really allowed to share anything, so I’m going to hand it over to the great Matt Reeves who’s somewhere around here, and he can determine what can and can’t be talked about,” he added.
Reeves, meanwhile, also confirmed at DC FanDome virtual day that his new iteration of the Dark Knight saga takes place during Batman Year Two in the comic book cycle.
It will depict The Riddler, the Penguin and Catwoman as their early selves, before they’re fully realized into their legendary villains.
Zoe Kravitz will star as Selina Kyle in the movie, while Paul Dano, Colin Farrell, Jeffrey Wright, Andy Serkis and John Turturro will also be featured.
We’ll update this story with more on Pattinson’s condition as the information becomes available.
We hope he’s feeling okay.