Scots are smuggling cans of Irn Bru onto the Glasgow set of 'The Batman: Part 2', hiding them in bins and hot dog stands, forcing nightly set searches.
The film, which sees Robert Pattinson reprise his role as the Caped Crusader following the 2023 film 'The Batman', began filming in Glasgow this week, with parts of the city transformed into DC Comics' Gotham. Residents have been charmed by the sudden changes, including streets coated in ice and the appearance of the Batmobile, but film crews received a distinctly Scottish welcome.
Security forced to search set nightly
The unusual practice was first made public by social media user @brodycantskate, who said in a post on X, formerly Twitter, that they were told by a security person about an ongoing hunt for Irn Bru cans. The smugglers have been targeting "bins and hot dog stands".
They said: "Went to The Batman 2 set in Glasgow and one of the security people said that they have to search the set for Irn Bru cans every night because the locals are trying to sneak one into the film and they keep popping up in the bins and hot dog stands."
Past on-set anachronisms
The attempts to inject some Scottish flavour into the scene bring back memories of other anachronistic inclusions for dedicated watchers of fantasy and drama. In 2014, a plastic water bottle appeared in the background of a promotional video for Downton Abbey, perched on a mantelpiece behind Hugh Bonneville and Laura Carmichael, and was posted on Instagram.
Responses on social media at the time tried to inject their own hilarity into the incident, with one social media user, Diana Pearl, saying: "Obviously the Crawley family invented the water bottle, and that's how they were able to support the estate." In a similar incident in 2019, fans spotted a Starbucks cup in the background of a scene on Game of Thrones. The cup was accidentally left on a banquet table in front of Daenerys Targaryen on the fourth episode of the series' eight season, which first aired on May 5 that year.
Social media was awash with comments then, too, with "Starkbucks" trending on the platform in reference to the Game of Thrones fan-favourite house. Even Starbucks itself muscled in on the action, with the coffee house's official Twitter profile tweeting: "We're surprised she didn't order a Dragon Drink."
Fans suggest more Scottish icons
Scores of users on Reddit and Twitter were equally tickled by news that Irn Bru fans were trying to stash cans around the Batman set, with some suggesting Glaswegians attempt to insert other Scottish cultural icons on set. One user wrote: "Extra points for getting a Tunnock's teacake into the film." Another added: "So is anyone going to put a roadcone on the Batmobile?"
Some suggested the film team should lean into it, with one saying: "They should lean into it. Have Commissioner Gordon walk into a scene drinking an Irn Bru like fat Thor drinking a beer [from Marvel's Avengers: Endgame]." And one came up with a hilarious script idea, saying: "Bane: it’s impossible How do you have so much energy? Batman ‘In the thickest Scottish accent possible’: Coz I got Irn Bru you wee little punk."
