The Batman is one of the best movies of the year, and its best scene was brought to life through this terrifying, and highly complicated stunt. That Batman movie scene was, of course, the car chase.
In the car chase Batman (Robert Pattinson) pursues the Penguin (Colin Farrell) through the dark, rain-soaked streets of Gotham. Using his Batmobile, he rams into Penguin’s vehicle as they hurtle down a mix of empty roads and packed highways. It’s an exhilarating moment, which ends in explosive fashion and badly for the Penguin.
Now the visual effects supervisor for the superhero movie, Dan Lemmon, has spoken to THR about how the stunt was created. The scene used CGI effects for some elements but was also surprisingly practical and complicated. In fact, it sounds kind of terrifying.
Lemmon said “[the cars] featured push-button-switchable two-wheel to four-wheel drivetrains and Formula One-style brakes that could be adjusted and activated at each wheel. Two of the vehicles could be driven from a pod attached to the outside of the vehicle, which allowed Robert Pattinson to be in the driver’s seat while an unseen stunt driver drove the car.”
He continued “For this shot, we stripped one Batmobile down to its lightest possible weight and set it up with long-throw suspension and doubled shock absorbers, allowing the Batmobile to jump 12 feet high and soar for 80 feet before it touched down on the pavement again.”
Watching the scene back, you can see how Lemmon’s explanation of what happened behind-the-scenes translates to what we saw on screen, with the Batmobile able to jump into the air and soar through it while chasing the villain. It’s amazing that the scene was able to b created with real cars manned by external drivers, and that there were no accidents while filming.
For more Batman fun, check out our ranking of the best Batman actors (including Pattinson) and our guide to The Batman 2 release date.