While reports erroneously made the rounds the other day that the legendary Robert Richardson would be serving as the cinematographer on the upcoming reboot The Batman, we now know who will actually be handling DP duties on the highly anticipated film. Oscar-nominated Rogue One and Foxcatcher cinematographer Greig Fraser will be behind the camera on the film, reuniting with his Let Me In director Matt Reeves for the first time since that critically acclaimed 2010 vampire movie remake.
"It’s great to be working with Matt again," said Fraser in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter. "The Batman franchise is iconic and its a privilege to now be able to visualize it in my own way. Especially with the cumulative creative potential of all the talent and technicians we have in front of and behind the camera."
Fraser is certainly one of the best cinematographers working today, utilizing cutting-edge camera technology to craft unique images in films as varied as Zero Dark Thirty, Vice, and Killing Them Softly. Frasier is currently hard at work serving as DP on Denis Villneuve’s upcoming sci-fi film Dune, and he was involved in the live-action Star Wars TV series The Mandalorian in some capacity.
As a huge fan of Frasier’s work, I cannot wait to see what he does with the franchise. Christopher Nolan worked closely with DP Wally Pfister to craft the gritty yet cinematically epic aesthetic for The Dark Knight trilogy, while Zack Snyder pushed the dark, iconographic nature of Batman with DP Larry Fong on Batman v Superman. Frasier is known for elegant, crisp, and character-driven frames, so consider me thrilled by this news.
Reeves has been attached to direct The Batman for some time, but it wasn’t until early this year that Warner Bros. finally confirmed Ben Affleck would no longer be starring and Reeves’ version would focus on a new, younger Batman. The studio and the War for the Planet of the Apes filmmaker selected Robert Pattinson as their new Caped Crusader, as the Good Time actor will fill the Bruce Wayne role in this fresh take on the iconic superhero.
The Batman is due to begin filming early next year ahead of a June 25, 2021 release date.
