Robert Pattinson stars as Bruce Wayne / Batman alongside Zoë Kravitz, Paul Dano, Jeffrey Wright, John Turturro, Peter Sarsgaard, Andy Serkis, and Colin Farrell.

Reclusive billionaire Bruce Wayne, who has operated for two years as the vigilante Batman, investigates the murder alongside Lieutenant Jim Gordon, much to the disdain of the Gotham City Police Department (GCPD).

The Riddler leaks evidence that Thomas, who was running for mayor before he was murdered, hired Falcone to kill Maroni's journalist who was writing a story about Martha's family history of mental illness.

[114] Affleck explained that he stepped down due to a combination of factors, including his divorce from Jennifer Garner, the tumultuous production of Justice League, his lack of enjoyment in the role at that point, and his alcohol problems.

[115][116] Elaborating on his Justice League experience, Affleck said it had particularly soured his interest in the role since it involved his divorce, frequent traveling, and competing agendas, as well as the death of Snyder's daughter Autumn (which led to the director's exit from the project) and the subsequent extensive reshoots for the film.

[39][110] Casting director Cindy Tolan suggested Kravitz,[22] and Reeves chose her over actresses such as Ana de Armas, Ella Balinska, and Eiza González, who also auditioned for the role, as well as Zazie Beetz, Alicia Vikander, Hannah John-Kamen, and Nathalie Emmanuel.

[46] Other cast members include Jayme Lawson,[57] Peter Sarsgaard,[174] Gil Perez-Abraham,[60] twins Charlie and Max Carver,[66] Rupert Penry-Jones,[175] Jay Lycurgo,[67][68] and Con O'Neill.

[129] The Batcave, a partial set build on the Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden, also serves as the foundation of the film's depiction of Wayne Manor, which Reeves described as decaying, representing Batman's uninterest in his family's wealth.

[186][187] Reeves wanted the Batmobile to feel like a "wild beast" and move away from the tank-like design popularized by Nolan's Dark Knight films in favor of one that looked like a muscle car.

[191] The Batsuit was designed by supervisor Dave Crossman and concept artist Glyn Dillon over a year,[177][178][146] intending to design "the signature Batsuit" with two guiding concepts: it needed to "look the part", balancing light and dark while not detracting from Pattinson's emotion, and it had to be flexible;[192][193] Reeves and Pattinson wanted the suit to be practical and easy to move and fight in it,[192][178] inspired by the depiction of Batman in the Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight storyline "Shaman" (1989) by O'Neil and Edward Hannigan.

[192][193] Nylon was used to create the suit and make it appear like bulletproof Kevlar,[192] while details like bloodstains, nicks, and ricochets from bullets were added, and the color was chosen after consultation with Reeves, cinematographer Greig Fraser, and the costume team.

[198] Dillon added that he wanted Batman to feel like the "Grim Reaper" with stillness through a skull-like cowl with a neutral expression,[198][194][192] which allowed Pattinson to have more freedom to convey emotions through his eyes.

[178] Makeup artist Maria Donne modeled Bruce Wayne's hairstyle after Cobain, while his eyeliner when suiting up as Batman featured a mix of pigments and products that would sustain rain and sweating.

[226][185][227][228] Filming in Liverpool took place at St George's Hall, Anfield Cemetery, Walker Art Gallery, Wellington Square, County Sessions House, and the Royal Liver Building.

[236] Fraser cited cinematographer Gordon Willis's lighting work on Klute, The Godfather, and All the President's Men, and took inspiration from photographer Todd Hido, and at Reeves's suggestion attempted to convey the film from Batman's point of view.

[237] Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) provided the StageCraft virtual production technology that Fraser helped develop on the Disney+ Star Wars series The Mandalorian (2019–2023), with a wall of LED panels allowing visual effects backgrounds to be rendered in real-time via Unreal Engine 4.

The wall was built around existing practical sets;[238] it was used for scenes involving the abandoned skyscraper where the Bat-Signal is stationed so Reeves and Fraser could film with consistent golden hour lighting, which is difficult when shooting on-location.

Two Mac Minis hooked into a local NEXIS network allowed Reeves to be able to do multiple screen shares with the addition of a video switcher to provide access to outputs from any Avid used by the entire editing team.

Moreover, Scanline VFX handled most of the third act and complex simulations, Wētā FX did the Batmobile chase with other standalone environments, and Crafty Apes performed significant work with 2D and fixing issues.

[239] Lemmon stated that using Unreal Engine to render the LED-walls in real time helped the team plan logistics for production, such as "how big the sets needed to be, where process screens would go, what the extensions would look like through the camera, where stunt rigging and special effects equipment would go" and allowing Fraser to adjust lighting.

[276] Furthermore, the team, including the compositing staff members Peter Hillman, Ben Morgan, and Beck Veitch, upgraded their tools that performed deep focus effects, allowing them to emulate the bokeh and optical vignetting resulting from Fraser's camera lens.

They digitally created the space using models provided by the art department and plate shots; it sought to emulate Fraser's lighting, drew inspiration from the Tribune Tower, and inserted bats.

[292] Chris Evangelista of /Film thought Pattinson's Batman looked much different from previous film depictions,[293] while Richard Newby of The Hollywood Reporter identified the costume's various references to past incarnations.

[302][303][305] A Japanese trailer released on December 12 quickly led to discussion and speculation that the Joker would appear after fans spotted a figure resembling the character on a newspaper prop in the footage.

[344][345] Deadline Hollywood calculated the film's net profit as $177 million, accounting for production budgets, marketing, talent participations, and other costs; box office grosses and home media revenues placed it seventh on their list of 2022's "Most Valuable Blockbusters".

[371] Jason Mottram of The National called it "one of the darkest and most compelling comic-book movies of the modern era", praising the performances, action, and story, particularly Reeves's portrayal of Penguin and Batman as the "World's Greatest Detective".

[372] Digital Spy reviewer Ian Sandwell highlighted the film's "film-noir vibes" and strong production values, praising its focus on Batman as a detective, which he felt justified the runtime.

[374] David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter praised the film's "intelligent, emotionally nuanced storytelling", its exploration of institutional corruption, and its unique Gothic identity, though he wished for more levity.

Batman's initial antagonism towards Alfred and apathy towards Catwoman's situation stems from the death of his parents and his inability to communicate with people due to his fear of suffering more emotional pain.

[395] By October 2022, Reeves was meeting with directors and writers for several films and television series that were in early development and centered on members of Batman's rogues gallery, such as Scarecrow, Clayface, and Professor Pyg.