Reeves reworked the story to focus on Batman earlier on in his career as a vigilante; stating that the film will be character-driven and stylistically noir, and will explore the detective aspect of the character to a greater extent than previous films. In January 2019, Affleck confirmed he will not reprise his role as Batman for this film or any future project. In May 2019, Warner Bros. screen-tested Robert Pattinson and Nicholas Hoult as Batman, after which Pattinson was cast in the role, that will be a new take on the character departing from the previous version. Between October and December 2019, castings included Jeffrey Wright (Commissioner James Gordon), Zoë Kravitz (Selina Kyle / Catwoman), Paul Dano (Edward Nashton / Riddler), Andy Serkis (Alfred Pennyworth), Colin Farrell (Oswald "Oz" Cobblepot / Penguin), John Turturro (Carmine Falcone), Jayme Lawson (Bella Reál), and Peter Sarsgaard (Gotham D.A. Gil Colson). "The Batman" is intended to be first installment from Reeves in a trilogy of films, centered around the character. Principal photography began on January 27, 2020, in London, England, for a scheduled release date of October 1, 2021. In September 2014, after being considered to play Shazam and Lobo, Dwayne Johnson was cast as Black Adam. The character was intended to be introduced in "Shazam!", but by January 2017 the film's production studios had chosen to divide the narrative to focus on Black Adam's origin. Johnson, who is also attached as producer, has stated the two characters will cross paths in a future film. Other DC characters, including the Justice Society of America, will factor into the plot of "Black Adam". In October 2017, Adam Sztykiel was hired to write the script. Co-producer Hiram Garcia stated the film will be gritty and violent, similar to the comics. In June 2019, Jaume Collet-Serra was announced as director for the film, with Beau Flynn, Johnson, Hiram Garcia, Dany Garcia, and Scott Sheldon attached as producers. Principal photography was expected to begin in July 2020, for a scheduled release date of December 22, 2021, but the filming has since been delayed to around August or September 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. By July 2013, Greg Berlanti was developing a film that centered around Barry Allen / The Flash.