Andy Serkis confirmed as Alfred Pennyworth in The Batman

The news was announced on Twitter by The Batman director Matt Reeves, who posted a GIF of Serkis running down a red carpet high-fiving fans, captioned: “And here comes Alfred.”

Serkis is best-known for voicing and playing computer-generated character Gollum in the Lord of the Rings trilogy and King Kong in Peter Jackson’s 2005 remake.

It’s a reunion for Serkis and Reeves, having worked together when Serkis played Caesar in the Planet of the Apes reboot.

The Batman cast sees Robert Pattison assume the role of the caped crusader, while Zoe Kravitz plays Catwoman.

Paul Dano has been cast as formidable villain The Riddler, while Jeffrey Wright plays Commissioner Gordon.

Elsewhere, Colin Farrell is reportedly in talks to play Oswald Cobblepot, alias The Penguin.

Little is known about the plot of The Batman, with leading star Pattison hinting it will be a departure from both Ben Affleck’s and Christian Bale’s recent incantations.

He 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