Glasgow 'a very special Gotham' for The Batman

Glasgow created a "very special Gotham", according to the director of new superhero blockbuster The Batman.

It was filmed at locations around the Necropolis, Glasgow Cathedral and the Bridge of Sighs which links the two, in February 2020.

In an interview with BBC Scotland's The Edit, director Matt Reeves heaped praise on Glasgow.

And he hinted that the franchise - featuring Robert Pattinson as Batman - could make a return to the city.

"One of the things that was really important, I wanted this to feel like a Gothic American city, but one that you'd never been to," the director said.

"And so the way to do that was to choose beautiful Gothic architecture and so we went to Glasgow and honestly it was so beautiful, I wish we could've filmed there more.

"I really think it's a very special Gotham, I mean what a special place."

The long-awaited Warner Bros and DC Comics movie, which is released in cinemas on Friday, is set a year after Bruce Wayne turns vigilante to solve crime in Gotham City.

Reeves said the movie echoed the same eeriness as the original comic book Batman written and created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger.

"It's not just the criminal element that's afraid of him, the city's inhabitants are afraid of Batman and so something about that brought out the sort of Bob Kane, Bill Finger kind of vibe of this kind of eerie vigilante that comes out of the shadows.

"So the movie is sort of a crime thriller on top of being everything that you would expect a Batman movie to be."

And asked if Glasgow should expect The Batman to return for more filming, he said: "Get ready yes, it could very well be that we'll be coming back to your neighbourhood soon."

Actors Pattinson and Zoe Kravitz, who played Catwoman, said they were also blown away by how Glasgow looked as Gotham - even though they didn't do any filming in the Scottish city.

The man seen filming in a Batman costume at the time was a stuntman.

"It looks great as Gotham, who would've thought of all the cities in the world, Glasgow as Gotham?" Pattinson said.

"The final shots of the Glasgow skyline is beautiful."

The Batman is one of a series of Hollywood blockbusters filmed in Glasgow in recent years.

In 2011, World War Z, a post-apocalyptic zombie movie starring Brad Pitt, saw Glasgow transformed into war-torn ruins for two weeks. Scenes were filmed in George Square and other city centre locations.

Last July filming for the new Indiana Jones movie, starring Harrison Ford, took place in Glasgow city centre.

Star-spangled banners, bunting and vintage shop fronts bedecked the streets of Glasgow for a parade scene which appears to capture 1960s New York as Apollo astronauts return home.

And more recently Glasgow was transformed into Gotham for a second time - this time for the new Batgirl movie, due to be released later this year.