Concept art for The Batman has revealed early designs for the Penguin and Bruce Wayne, which were closer to traditional depictions of the characters.
A first look at the upcoming art book, The Art of The Batman, has revealed images of the Batman’s confrontation with the Penguin and Bruce Wayne’s meeting with crime lord Carmine Falcone. While the images are not too far from the scenes as they appeared in the final film, a few notable differences offer an interesting insight into early ideas on the aesthetic direction of The Batman.
The first image depicts the scene in which Batman and Gordon capture the Penguin, following the film’s now iconic car chase sequence. The concept art depicts a hulking Batman looking over a diminuitive figure. While the Penguin appears only in silhouette, his short stature and long, pointed nose can clearly be seen. Even in this shadowy image, the villain looks far closer to his comic book counterpart, than the more realistic design that ended up in the film.
The second image depicts Robert Pattinson’s Bruce Wayne talking to an older man. Judging by the design of the room, which was largely unchanged in the final film, the man opposite Bruce is presumably an early design for Carmine Falcone before John Turturro was cast.
Apart from the different, much older look for Falcone, this image also reveals a far more dapper Bruce Wayne. While Bruce appears far more bedgraddled in the actual scene, the concept art seems to imagine a Bruce Wayne who embraces the playboy lifestyle that comes with his supreme wealth, dressing the part and appearing more calm and collected than in the finished scene.
The Batman ultimately went in a darker, more grounded direction than these concept images seem to depict, but it’s fascinating to see the different ways in which the filmmakers initially considered approaching the source material.
Here is the synopsis for The Batman:
Two years of stalking the streets as the Batman (Robert 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 Pennyworth (Andy Serkis), Lt. James Gordon (Jeffrey 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/aka Catwoman (Zoë Kravitz), Oswald Cobblepot/aka the Penguin (Colin Farrell), Carmine Falcone (John Turturro), and Edward Nashton/aka the Riddler (Paul 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.
Directed by Matt Reeves, The Batman stars Robert Pattinson as the titular hero and Bruce Wayne, Zoe Kravitz as Catwoman, Paul Dano as the Riddler, Jeffrey Wright as James Gordon, John Turturro as Carmine Falcone, Peter Sarsgaard as Gil Colson, Jayme Lawson as Bella Reál, with Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth, Colin Farrell as the Penguin, and Barry Keoghan as The Joker.
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Source: The Art of The Batman
