Colin Farrell and Andy Serkis join The Batman as Penguin and Alfred

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Meanwhile, Andy Serkis (Lord of the Rings) is circling the role of Alfred Pennyworth, Bruce Wayne's faithful butler who sometimes assists him in his crimefighting hobby. The character is a staple of the Batman franchise who has previously been played by such acting heavyweights as Michael Caine (The Dark Knight trilogy) and Jeremy Irons (Batman v Superman).

The casting reunites Serkis with writer-director Matt Reeves, who he collaborated with on two instalments of the Planet of the Apes series where he played the motion capture chimpanzee Caesar.

The Batman has already cast a number of huge roles including Twilight's Robert Pattinson in the lead, Zoë Kravitz (Big Little Lies) as femme fatale Catwoman, Paul Dano (War & Peace) as mind bending villain The Riddler and Jeffrey Wright (Westworld) as Police Commissioner Jim Gordon.

The film marks a fresh start for the character following the critical and commercial disappointments of Batman v Superman and Justice League, both of which saw Ben Affleck don the cape and cowl.

Plot details are yet to be announced, but early rumours suggest it could be a loose adaptation of famous comic book story The Long Halloween by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale.

Speaking of the movie's plot, Pattinson cryptically told Variety: "It’s something from the comics which hasn’t been really explored yet. You know, it’s kind of crazy shoes to film. I mean, it’s interesting what different directions you can take with it.

"When somebody plays a specific character, it’s actually quite a lot of leeway. When you look at the different tones of all these movies and the TV shows, I mean you can do quite a lot with it.”

The Batman will be released in cinemas on 25th June 2021