Batman filming halted as Robert Pattinson tests positive for Covid
Robert Pattinson, the British actor, has tested positive for Covid-19, forcing the filming of a new Batman film to be halted in Hertfordshire, according to reports.
The 34-year-old star, who shot to fame in the Twilight film series, is due to star as the caped superhero in The Batman, which is due to be released in 2021.
However, the blockbuster was forced to halt filming just days after production had resumed in the wake of lockdown due to Pattinson contracting the virus, according to Vanity Fair.
Filming had been taking place at the Warner Bros studios in Leavesden, Hertfordshire.
A statement from Warner Bros said: “A member of The Batman production has tested positive for Covid-19, and is isolating in accordance with established protocols.
"Filming is temporarily paused.”
Pattinson was not named by the studio, but his reported positive test was confirmed to the publication by separate anonymous sources.
The development on Thursday night came just a day after Hertfordshire County Council issued an update about a spate of local outbreaks of Covid-19 in the district.
The local authority said there had been a spike in cases in the Dacorum area, covering Berkhamsted, Tring and Hemel Hempstead.
“Existing measures have not been effective at managing to contain this local outbreak amongst young people,” the council said.
It raises the possibility that the area might soon face a reintroduction of lockdown measures of the kind implemented across parts of northern England and the Midlands.
Filming for The Batman began in Glasgow earlier this year but it was shut down in March when the country was placed into lockdown.
The Warner Bros and DC Comics film is directed by Matt Reeves and will see Pattinson follow in the footsteps of Christian Bale, Ben Affleck, Val Kilmer and George Clooney in playing the Dark Knight.
The film also stars Zoe Kravitz as Catwoman, Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth and Jeffrey Wright as Gotham City's police chief Commissioner Gordon.
