Batman Production Halted After Robert Pattinson Tests Positive For Covid-19
Production on The Batman has been halted after star Robert Pattinson tested positive for COVID-19, according to a report citing sources close to the film’s production. After pausing production near the start of the pandemic and being off the grid for months, the film had just recently returned to production in London. News that the production had been paused again emerged earlier today, with reports simply saying that a member of the production team had contracted the virus. That it is Pattinson who is sick was just reported by Vanity Fair. Warner Bros., who had confirmed that production was stopped after someone tested positive, has not yet responded to the reports.
Typically the quarantine time with a positive test is two weeks, and as far as production resuming, we’ll have to wait and see how the studio proceeds. Every studio seems to handle positive tests a bit differently, but it stands to reason that the star of the film would be difficult to continue without.
Since the start of the pandemic, there has been speculation that returning to production on big tentpole blockbusters would be difficult, given the sheer number of people on set at any given time. Superhero movies are even more challenging, given the frequent need for long sits in the makeup chair or intimate contact with numerous people who help them on and off with makeup, tight-fitting costumes, or the rigs needed to simulate flight or other superheroic abilities.
The CW, which is co-owned by Warner Bros. and airs several WB superhero shows including its top-rated series, The Flash, has indicated that they will be looking into ways to reduce person-to-person contact when writing love scenes, fight scenes, and other circumstances that would make social distancing more difficult. Recently, The Batman director Matt Reeves said that shooting delays due to the coronavirus pandemic had not resulted in any notable changes made to The Batman.
The Batman was the last big reveal of DC FanDome, and it successfully got fans hyped for the upcoming film from Matt Reeves. The trailer revealed not only Robert Pattinson’s Batman suit and the overall tone and vibe of the film, but it also revealed our first look at Catwoman, Penguin, Commissioner Gordon, and more, and we even got another look at the Batmobile
