Batman returns

"When I read the script, I just thought he seemed very unusual. He had a very unusual moral code, and didn't really see himself as a true, clean hero. He didn't know exactly who he was yet," explains Pattinson.

With a lot of rainy scenes, the English actor reveals one of his biggest challenges during shooting was performing the much-lauded fight scenes wrapped in a heavy, wet cape.

American actor Dano recalls that his first conversation with Reeves gave an in-depth understanding of the script, which "defines heroes and villains as the two sides of trauma", he says.

"That is kind of the core emotional seed for the character (Riddler) from which everything else grows," he says.

"I have kept fueling myself with the comic books throughout the entire shoot. It is a way for me to always sort of be in contact with Batman and to look at his image as an idol. That relationship is important to me," he adds.

Irish actor Farrell, who plays another classic nemesis, Penguin, another iconic villain in Batman's history, reveals that it took him around six hours to wear the makeup, which made his performance easier, as it gave him "complete freedom of movement and expression".

Describing himself as a hardcore fan growing up watching various versions of Batman－from actor Adam West's 1960s classic TV show, to the trademark cinematic versions delivered by directors Tim Burton and Joel Schumacher－Farrell says he sees being part of the new movie, and stepping into the cinematic lineage of the Batman franchise, which has been popular for more than 80 years, as an honor.

In one of the moments that impressed him the most, Farrell reveals that he saw Pattinson－then acting in a scene with Batman's black cape flapping against the dark night－standing on a rooftop in London at around 2 am.

"It was a very surreal but genuinely magical experience," he recalls.

Despite the film satisfying the craving of many Chinese fans, following a yearlong absence of Hollywood's comic book hero movies in the local market, it's difficult to see The Batman creating a box-office bonanza－like that once enjoyed by most Marvel or DC comics-adapted tentpoles－amid the harsh situation currently facing the country's theaters, many insiders say.

Contact the writer at xufan@chinadaily.com.cn