Statues of Batman and Wonder Woman Erected in London’s Leicester Square

To commemorate the 350th anniversary of London’s historic Leicester Square, bronze statues commemorating 9 cinematic icons have been erected around the square. Among the characters chosen to be immortalized in this form are the DC Comics superheroes Batman and Wonder Woman.

Leicester Square has become synonymous with the film industry over the years, with many premieres being hosted at the Odeon Leicester Square cinema beginning in 1937. The Prince Charles Cinema has also become famous for screening various cult favorites. Other screen icons chosen to receive statues include Paddington Bear, Mr. Bean, Mary Poppins, Laurel and Hardy, Bugs Bunny and Don Lockwood (Gene Kelly in Singin’ in the Rain). They join Charlie Chaplin’s statue in the park-like setting.

Principal photography on the Dark Knight’s upcoming cinematic reboot — The Batman — began in London back in January. Meanwhile, Diana Prince is gearing up for the release of Wonder Woman 1984 — the sequel to 2017’s Wonder Woman — which is set to hit theaters early this June.

The Bat-Signal is part of the rooftop sculpture by David Field

Sculptor Samantha Wild crafts a life-size statue of Wonder Woman

Gene Kelly’s widow, Patricia Ward Kelly, unveiled the statue of him swinging from a lamppost

Each of the statues is a nod to a different decade of cinema from the 1920s until the present day. Several of the statues are illuminated at night, and the trail – which is free to all – is enhanced with interactive content including maps, video and music. They are scheduled to remain through June 2020 although efforts are being made to make them permanent.

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David Raiklen

David Raiklen wrote, directed and scored his first film at age 9. He began studying keyboard and composing at age 5. He attended, then taught at UCLA, USC and CalArts. Among his teachers are John Williams and Mel Powel.
He has worked for Fox, Disney and Sprint. David has received numerous awards for his work, including the 2004 American Music Center Award. Dr. Raiklen has composed music and sound design for theater (Death and the Maiden), dance (Russian Ballet), television (Sing Me a Story), cell phone (Spacey Movie), museums (Museum of Tolerance), concert (Violin Sonata ), and film (Appalachian Trail).
His compositions have been performed at the Hollywood Bowl and the first Disney Hall. David Raiken is also host of a successful radio program, Classical Fan Club.

David Raiklen

David Raiklen wrote, directed and scored his first film at age 9. He began studying keyboard and composing at age 5. He attended, then taught at UCLA, USC and CalArts. Among his teachers are John Williams and Mel Powel. He has worked for Fox, Disney and Sprint. David has received numerous awards for his work, including the 2004 American Music Center Award. Dr. Raiklen has composed music and sound design for theater (Death and the Maiden), dance (Russian Ballet), television (Sing Me a Story), cell phone (Spacey Movie), museums (Museum of Tolerance), concert (Violin Sonata ), and film (Appalachian Trail). His compositions have been performed at the Hollywood Bowl and the first Disney Hall. David Raiken is also host of a successful radio program, Classical Fan Club.