MORE and more big films are being shot in Liverpool, we are getting used to it. Even the Coronavirus Pandemic hasn't stopped the cameras rolling... On a side note, how many of you know that Ainsdale was regarded as the UK's Hollywood, before the Second World War... No, we are not talking about Sean Bean's TV series transforming the Ainsdale pinewoods into a Second World War army camp. Also, no, we are not talking about the BBC's 'War of The Worlds...' Yes, we transgress, as the big news, both here in the UK and around the world, was that Robert Pattinson's 'The Batman' was being filmed in Liverpool. "Holy smokes, Batman!" Just before Lockdown back in March, we spotted an interesting helicopter over Merseyside. At the time we Tweeted about it and then forgot it. The reboot of the Batman franchise had been meant to start filming in Liverpool, but sadly Covid19 struck and the Bat went into hibernation. Now, thanks to an amazing effort by Liverpool City Council's Film Office and many others, the new Batman was given the green light to start filming again, even as our UK's Joker put the area into Lockdown again, placing the Liverpool City Region into Tier 3.

In fact, the word on the street is that Liverpool City Council's The Film Office said that even though filming had to be postponed due to Covid19 and some of the background cast on sets have been reduced. The rescheduled filming didn't have any major impact on the main aspects of the production process. They also added that throughout the planning and filming they had been working closely with the crews to ensure they had a Covid-Safe environment for all the crew and actors to work in. This meant all the crew and actors had to go into protective bubbles. Also, we did find it very interesting that some of the notices on the site said:- "Gotham Health Department," so could this be a hint that Covid19 might be mentioned within the film? “Sometimes the truth isn’t good enough, sometimes people need more.”

Sadly, due to the new restrictions and pressure to get the film finished, we could not get a very close look at this new production as we would have been allowed, if Covid19 hadn't popped up. But we still managed to see some of the amazing things being shot on Merseyside, and what a fascinating sight it was. Annoyingly, we did get a glimpse of the New Batman actor on set, located outside St George's Hall, albeit at a distance, but unlike some lucky people, we missed the photo opportunities of the stunt man performing and Robert Pattinson on the steps. Unlike Batman, we could not risk pushing into the crowds to get the shots we needed... But as we missed the Southport Air Show this year, seeing the Gotham Police Department helicopter again over Liverpool made our Editor's day, well year! Covid-19 you are forgiven... “Everything’s impossible until somebody does it.”

So a bit about the film... We are told that we will see a younger Batman. American filmmaker, Matt Reeves, says his vision will emphasize the detective aspect of the character to a greater extent than previous films. The film is a new take about how he starts out and shows how he is different from any other Superhero, so has a very normal looking car and motorbike, plus his costume is far less fanciful than in many of the more recent films. Think the Punisher meets Madmax, with a bit of Dare Devil thrown in for fun... The new Batman film, starring Robert Pattinson, was due to be released in June 2021 by Warner Bros, but it has been pushed back to 4 March 2022, due to delays in filming.

This footage was taken as the scene was shot with Gotham PD, complete with Gotham Police Cars. Other Gotham related materials were being used at St Georges Hall, which is set to become Gotham City Hall in the film. The caped crusader himself has been seen out and about in Liverpool, but sadly, the Bat was not spotted this time, or was he??? "A hero can look like anyone..."

Anyway, back to the footage we shot and the 2 Gotham PD and Gotham Live Action News choppers... An interesting note is that the 2 choppers were both Aerospatiale AS355 F2 Ecureuil 2's, tail registrations:- G-TVHD and G-BPRI. Both are reported to be owned by Arena Aviation Ltd, who are based at Redhill Aerodrome Airport, Redhill, England (United Kingdom.) We are told that the firm uses Cineflex HD and the FLIR Ultramedia II camera systems normally, but we can't confirm what they are using for the film on this occasion. They are also listed as specialist CAA audited filming operators, who are the only crews to have this type of set up within the UK. To find out more visit:- Arena-Aircraft.com.

“I think there’s a vague sense out there that movies are becoming more and more unreal. I know I’ve felt it.”

See Warner Brothers' official website:- WarnerBros.Com for all the latest news about the film. Also, for more information about filming in Liverpool visit Liverpool City Council's Film Office website:- LiverpoolFilmOffice.TV.