THE BATMAN Director Matt Reeves Explains Why He Isn't Rushing To Make A Sequel Or "Chapter 2" Story

THE BATMAN Director Matt Reeves Explains Why He Isn't Rushing To Make A Sequel Or "Chapter 2" Story

The Batman director Matt Reeves has revealed why he's not rushing into making a sequel, explaining that his biggest priority with this movie was to make it a satisfying experience for the hero's fans.

By JoshWilding - Feb 21, 2022 03:02 PM EST
Filed Under: The Batman
Source: Los Angeles Times

We've been hearing rumblings about plans for The Batman to launch a new trilogy of movies starring the Dark Knight for some time now, and HBO Max is already knee-deep in developing a couple of small screen spinoffs. Those shows will put the spotlight on the GCPD and The Penguin, but as excited as we are for them, a sequel announcement would definitely be welcomed by fans. 

During a recent interview with The Los Angeles Times, The Batman director Matt Reeves explained why he's not looking to rush into making a sequel. In fact, he deliberately approached this movie as a standalone adventure in order to make sure it would be a satisfying experience for audiences.

"Here's the thing, my feeling in doing the film was always that I would never treat it as chapter one. Because chapter one assumes that there are more chapters," the filmmaker explained. "So what I wanted to do was to make this movie a satisfying experience so that people could experience a new fresh version of a character that the world has loved for over eighty years."

"I think that if we succeed on that front, I know that I have a lot of stories I want to tell and then we'll do chapter two, but not because we didn't make this one a complete experience," Reeves added. "Let's just see what happens, let's see the audience watch it. I hope they connect to it and if they do then yes there's definitely more to do and I will not be napping for too long!"

Providing it's a box office hit - and all signs are pointing to that being the case - then we see no reason why The Batman 2 won't become a reality. Reeves' approach seems like the best possible one, though, and it sounds like the upcoming movie will work as a self-contained story in its own right without worrying too much about setting up the next big villain, storyline, or wider "Batverse."

Reeves does appear to be pretty committed to building this universe, but we may have to be patient for a follow-up, and those spinoffs will likely be released before the next movie is.

The Batman is set to be released exclusively in theaters on March 4.

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Odin
Odin - 2/21/2022, 3:20 PM
Smart attitude. If there is one thing we learned from TASM franchise, it's that you shouldn't go all out boasting about your sequels and spin-offs, before you see whether or not audience actually likes your first products to begin with.
dragon316
dragon316 - 2/21/2022, 3:33 PM
@Odin - it happen with fantastic four remake marvel said there will be sequel to that movie before it was released in theaters where is it now
Whaley87
Whaley87 - 2/21/2022, 4:33 PM
@dragon316 - You mean Fox? Marvel didn't have the film rights to them, so you're talking out of your arse again there.
bkmeijer2
bkmeijer2 - 2/21/2022, 5:21 PM
@Odin - Sony really is a masterclass how not to do a franchise.

There is massive support for Maguire and Garfield, yet they give some Madame Web movie casting announcement
Odin
Odin - 2/21/2022, 5:54 PM
@bkmeijer - Who the frick is the target audience for a Madame Web movie? Even the comic readers who know the character think that movie about her is an absurd idea.
Dredd97
Dredd97 - 2/21/2022, 3:23 PM
The best kind of attitude, especially in the day of endless franchises
datfigures
datfigures - 2/21/2022, 3:24 PM
Pattinson also said he and Reeves talked about a trilogy as I recall. So Reeves’s approach might be stand alone, but he’s no doubt had to consider sequels from the moment he signed on.
Repian
Repian - 2/21/2022, 3:25 PM
If Barry Keoghan plays a Batman villain for a cameo, you don't use an actor like Keoghan for a cameo without thinking about a possible future.
NinnesMBC
NinnesMBC - 2/21/2022, 3:27 PM
So he's not the one rushing in launching the "Batverse/Reevesverse" but is focused on telling well this first story, the ones that are actually anxious to create a whole new universe out from this are the typical Warner Bros and HBO Max suits. Got it.
regularmovieguy
regularmovieguy - 2/21/2022, 3:28 PM
Take your time, Mr. Reeves.

🦇
grif
grif - 2/21/2022, 3:29 PM
i call bs. i bet wb is all over this guy saying we are going to milk the [frick] out of this



Doomsday8888
Doomsday8888 - 2/21/2022, 3:33 PM
The Supes fan in me is jelly af and the Bat fan in me is hyped af.
tmp3
tmp3 - 2/21/2022, 3:51 PM
@Doomsday8888 - lol what happened to the coates superman film, feels like that big JJ deal has wielded like no results so far
Doomsday8888
Doomsday8888 - 2/21/2022, 3:56 PM
@tmp3
Good.
Rather have that MJB project, at least he's a fan and knows the product.
McMurdo
McMurdo - 2/21/2022, 4:37 PM
@Doomsday8888 - we need an anti-Abrams who can give Superman what Reeves is giving Batman. But lean into the boy wonder. Lean into the fantastical.
McMurdo
McMurdo - 2/21/2022, 4:37 PM
@tmp3 - we can only hope. MBJ kinda stripped the wind out their sails
The1st
The1st - 2/21/2022, 4:40 PM
@Doomsday8888 - I agree, but let's be real. The Supes fan in you will go back to CW and watch 5 o'clock shadow Supes like the rest of us do. WB has done it's best to collect all of Fox's old juju.

tripttwe
tripttwe - 2/21/2022, 3:47 PM
I appreciate the response. Here's hoping that the story feels like he describes.
tmp3
tmp3 - 2/21/2022, 3:50 PM
I feel like Reeves wants to treat every one of these films as something that can wholly stand on its own, so I feel like things like keoghan and the wayne corruption thing are more to establish the world than to tease events for sequels.
Still hoping for a good Mr. Freeze in the next one. Wonder what A24 actor he’ll get for that one. Michael Stuhlberg? Joel Edgerton?
McMurdo
McMurdo - 2/21/2022, 4:39 PM
@tmp3 - dude Edgerton would [frick]ing slay as freeze. The Gift is so good.
The1st
The1st - 2/21/2022, 4:42 PM
@tmp3 - That's a good point. Even with the apes films, none of them necessarily felt like you had to watch all of them or you were missing out.
Dredd97
Dredd97 - 2/21/2022, 4:46 PM
@tmp3 - that's what I'm saying about Joker. Having him be a once-in-a-while nuisance as opposed to this massive threat would be a great way to do something no one else has
RokoVII
RokoVII - 2/21/2022, 3:51 PM
Good to hear
JFerguson
JFerguson - 2/21/2022, 3:53 PM
Please don’t call it “The Batman 2” or “The Batman: Chapter 2” and I’ll be cool. Playing around with the subtitle is a minor nitpick of mine
sully
sully - 2/21/2022, 4:02 PM
He's blowing air out his a**. He's already outlined all three movies of his trilogy. There's a reason why he was in the writing process for three years. Anyone assuming a Batman movie couldn't be successful is full of sh*t.
bkmeijer2
bkmeijer2 - 2/21/2022, 5:20 PM
@sully - well he does say he already has a lot of stories to tell. Just looks to me he wants to make every one of those wholly stand-alone
bobevanz
bobevanz - 2/21/2022, 5:32 PM
@sully - yeah well wtf do you know lol
HarryBloodscreaming
HarryBloodscreaming - 2/21/2022, 4:16 PM
These quotes aren’t about holding off on a sequel; he’s talking about making the first movie self-contained, rather than as the first part of a serialized story. I’m sure if this one does as well as hoped, the sequel will be greenlit within a week.
ModHaterSLADE
ModHaterSLADE - 2/21/2022, 4:30 PM
Good. No need to rush sequels anyway unless the plot absolutely calls for it.
Lokiwasright
Lokiwasright - 2/21/2022, 4:31 PM
Because the first hasn't come out yet

Or

They already planned it and wbdc doesn't want you geeks to know about it.
Franshu
Franshu - 2/21/2022, 4:34 PM
Well, that's how it used to be not too long ago. Like, Nolan went film by film with his TDK trilogy. Same with Raimi and Spider-Man. Even if the idea of there being sequels WAS there, the films themselves were thlught as a complete experience rather than the set up for the next episode. Not necessarily smart not innovative -- I'd say it's more "old school" or pre-MCU rather than anything else.
breakUbatman
breakUbatman - 2/21/2022, 4:46 PM
I like it
VicSage
VicSage - 2/21/2022, 5:07 PM
Let's just do more than 3 films please. There is more than enough Bat material available to at least do 5 films. I'd love a Batman saga that extended beyond a trilogy. More opportunity to see more characters and places and challenge Bruce more. Go for 5, Matt.
bkmeijer2
bkmeijer2 - 2/21/2022, 5:17 PM
It's because of attitudes like this that I have so much faith in the movie. Even if the story or the characters don't resonate with me (which I doubt), this really does seem to shape up to be quite the experience
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