- An electric
Batmobile was created for "The Batman ." - Production designer James Chinlund told Insider it's how they made the car appear to breathe.
"The Batman" features a Batmoibile that's the least flashy of any in the franchise. However, it still has some style.
The movie's production designer James Chinlund revealed to Insider that several versions of the Batmobile were created, including one that was all-electric. The reason for the non-gas version was to pull off a shot in the movie where it felt like Batman's ride was a living thing.
"Early on in conversations with ['The Batman' director] Matt [Reeves] we were talking about 'Christine,' the Stephen King book, and were figuring out ways to make the car actually feel like it was breathing," Chinlund said.
King's classic novel, which was also made into a movie in 1983 (a remake by Blumhouse is in the works), follows a 1958 Plymouth Fury that appears possessed by an evil spirit and wreaks havoc on its owner.
Chinlund said after discussions with the movie's special effects supervisor, Dominic Tuohy, the decision was made that the most practical way to pull off the vision was to build an electric version of the Batmobile.
"We built this very intricate front to the car, we called it 'The Furnace,'" Chinlund said. "The concept was that there's a jet intake in the front that feeds into the rear engine. So in the electric version, it allowed us to have this fire breathing machine inside the hood."
Chinlund said creating an electric version made the set safer because you didn't have to worry about flammable gas.
The result can be seen in the movie when the Batmobile starts for the first time: In a shadowy alleyway, while its engine runs, you see blue flames glow from within as the headlights come on. It makes the car look as though it's breathing fire.
"It was amazing to have that as a tool," Chinlund said of the electric car.
"The Batman" — starring Robert Pattinson as the Dark Knight, Zoë Kravitz as Catwoman, Paul Dano as The Riddler, and Colin Farrell as the Penguin — is currently playing in theaters.