'Batman' filming halted after Pattinson reportedly falls ill with COVID

Filming for the latest Batman-centered film, starring Robert Pattinson, has been halted in Britain after the actor reportedly tested positive for the coronavirus, just days after shooting had resumed.

"A member of 'The Batman' production has tested positive for Covid-19, and is isolating in accordance with established protocols," Warner Bros. said in a statement to AFP. "Filming is temporarily paused."

The studio did not name the person infected or indicate when filming would resume.

Vanity Fair magazine, however, said it had confirmed through "highly placed sources" that 34-year-old Pattinson was the sick cast member.

Pattinson's representative could not be immediately reached for comment.

Production for the new film -- a dark, detective-style mystery take on the "Caped Crusader" -- also had to shut down midway through production in March due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Director Matt Reeves has said his version -- due out next June -- is inspired by classic films noirs like "Chinatown" and "Taxi Driver," and will meet a "very human and very flawed" Bruce Wayne in his second year as Batman, trying to solve a series of crimes.

First-ever footage from the much-hyped movie released at the DC FanDome event last month left fans drooling online, with a mysterious villain leaving notes for Batman at crime scenes across Gotham -- and the film's hero pummeling a street thug before growling: "I'm vengeance."