The Batman director Matt Reeves says that the final film turned out to be exactly what he wanted it to be. Reeves both wrote and directed the Caped Crusader's latest big-screen iteration once he was finished overseeing the acclaimed last two films in the recent Planet of the Apes trilogy. Reeve's other prior directorial efforts include the monster movie Cloverfield and the horror remake Let Me In.
Robert Pattinson plays the titular character in The Batman with stars Zoe Kravitz, Colin Farrell, Paul Dano, Jeffrey Wright, and Andy Serkis rounding out the cast. He obviously s a long list of previous Bruce Waynes. The last actor to play Batman in live-action was Ben Affleck, who will make an appearance as the character in this year's The Flash, which is set in a different universe than Reeves' The Batman. Prior to Pattinson and Affleck, the character was portrayed by Christian Bale for Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight trilogy.
For Reeves, the prospect of having Batman in an interconnected DCEU was too much for what he wanted to do with his movie, which was to tell a true detective noir story for the character. Talking to Collider, the director emphasized that Warner Bros. ed his vision completely and never second-guessed it, embracing the director's idea. Reeves recognized that there is a long line of great Batman films, so he wanted to make something "distinctive and different and definitive." Ultimately, Reeves' goal was realized, with him saying:
[WB] really leaned into everything, and I've had the to do exact ... I mean, I have to say, this movie is exactly the movie I wanted it to be, and they have ed me all the way through it.
Reeves' The Batman is already launching a new wave of content set in his Dark Knight's universe, which already has two spinoff shows in the works for HBO Max. One, GD, will focus on Gotham's police force, while the other will follow Farrell's Penguin. In addition, Reeves has said that a sequel to The Batman is part of his future plans with DC, saying that he's "excited to tell more stories" in that world, although he doesn't want to rush into the next film. Along with Pattinson's and Affleck's Caped Crusaders, fans can also look forward to more from the original modern cinematic Batman, Michael Keaton, who will reprise the role in multiple films going forward, including The Flash and Batgirl.
Early reactions to The Batman are very good thus far, giving a good indication that Reeves has not only made the film he wanted, but one that fans want as well. With so many incarnations of the character in live-action in that last few decades, it can be a daunting task to tell something fresh and new, but Reeves appears to have done just that. In doing so, he was even able to stay true to his initial plan, which was to make a detective film that still delivers on the action and spectacle that fans expect. Reviews are expected to drop on February 28 with the first fan screening taking place on March 1 before the film opens wide on March 4, so fans are mere days away from seeing what Reeves has delivered with The Batman.
Source: Collider
