With director Matt Reeves’ The Batman opening in movie theaters in a few days, I recently had the chance to speak with Andy Serkis about playing Alfred Pennyworth in the hugely anticipated DC movie. During the interview, Serkis talked about how Reeves approached him for the role, what it was like working with cinematographer Greig Fraser, what shots impressed him, how he’s never seen Gotham City look so complete and how it’s a character in the movie, and why he thinks Reeves is one of the best directors working in the business.
In addition, I recently participated in a press conference with Reeves and Robert Pattinson where they talked about why they didn’t want to do another origin story, their thoughts on Death in the Family, the trouble with emoting in Batman’s cowl, why Riddler as the first villain, how Pattinson found Batman’s voice, and their thoughts on Mr. Freeze. So you might want to check out some of those stories.
Watch what Andy Serkis had to say in the player above and below is exactly what we talked about. The Batman also stars Zoë Kravitz as Selina Kyle, Paul Dano (Riddler), Jeffrey Wright (James Gordon), Colin Farrell (Oswald Cobblepot / The Penguin), John Turturro (Carmine Falcone), Peter Sarsgaard as Gotham D.A. Gil Colson, and Jayme Lawson as mayoral candidate Bella Reál.
Andy Serkis
- How the filmmaking in The Batman is incredible.
- Why he thinks Matt Reeves is one of the best directors.
- Did Reeves ever talk to him about the future of his character?
- How they were in post-production on Apes when Reeves first started talking to him about the movie and role.
- What Reeves and Serkis talked about regarding the movie and role.
- What was it like working with cinematographer Greig Fraser and what shots impressed him?
- How he’s never seen Gotham City look so complete and how it’s a character in the movie.
Here's the official synopsis for The Batman:
From Warner Bros. Pictures comes Matt Reeves’ “The Batman,” starring Robert Pattinson in the dual role of Gotham City’s vigilante detective and his alter ego, reclusive billionaire Bruce Wayne.
More than a year of stalking the streets as the Batman (Pattinson), striking fear into the hearts of criminals, has led Bruce Wayne deep into the shadows of Gotham City. With only a few trusted allies—Alfred (Serkis), Lt. James Gordon (Wright)—amongst the city’s corrupt network of officials and high-profile figures, the lone vigilante has established himself as the sole embodiment of vengeance amongst his fellow citizens.
When a killer targets Gotham’s elite with a series of sadistic machinations, a trail of cryptic clues sends the World’s Greatest Detective on an investigation into the underworld, where he encounters such characters as Selina Kyle (Kravitz), Oz, aka The Penguin (Farrell), Carmine Falcone (Turturro), and Edward Nashton/aka The Riddler (Dano). As the evidence begins to lead closer to home and the scale of the perpetrator’s plans becomes clear, Batman must forge new relationships, unmask the culprit, and bring justice to the abuse of power and corruption that has long plagued Gotham City.