Peter Batten

Peter Batten’s filmography is honestly a bit of a wild ride, stretching from the quirky underworld of “Cruella” (2021), to the full-blown disaster movie chaos of “The Core” (2003), and then veering off into the sweetly odd world of “Wonka” (2023). The guy doesn’t seem interested in sticking to any one genre, and you gotta respect that. Let’s start with “Cruella.” If you haven’t seen it, imagine the fashion scene in 1970s London, all punk rock and chaos, with Emma Stone totally unhinged as Cruella de Vil—Peter Batten’s role might not be front and center, but every bit counts in building that wild, aesthetic fever dream. Then there’s “The Core” – classic early 2000s sci-fi apocalypse stuff, right? The Earth’s core just stops spinning (because, science), and suddenly the world’s falling apart. Batten’s in there somewhere, helping hold together a movie that’s basically a love letter to over-the-top disaster flicks, questionable physics and all. Jump to “Wonka,” and everything changes again. This one’s a visually lush, quirky musical prequel, peeling back the curtain on the origins of Willy Wonka before he became the eccentric chocolatier we all know. The vibe is whimsical, a little bit magical, with Batten slotting into a cast that’s all about oddballs and dreamers. If you’re a movie buff, you’ll spot him popping up in unexpected places, always adding a little something extra.