With Matt Reeves currently doing the rounds to promote his new sci-fi series Tales From the Loop, he's had a lot to say about his work on The Batman. While you might think that taking charge of the Caped Crusader's next solo outing is a daunting task for the filmmaker, he ultimately approached the DC Comics adaptation like any other project he's worked on.
"I’m going to pitch the version of Batman that I would do, which is going to have a humanist bent," he explained, reflecting on the build up to him landing the job. "And who knows if they’ll have any interest? If they don’t, then I won’t do it. And that’ll be okay. I was really lucky that they said yes.”
As for how that "humanist bent" will affect The Batman, Reeves elaborated on his place for the hero.
"I wanted to do not an origin tale, but a tale that would still acknowledge his origins, in that it formed who he is. Like this guy, he’s majorly struggling, and this is how he’s trying to rise above that struggle. But that doesn’t mean that he even fully understands, you know. It’s that whole idea of the shadow self and what’s driving you, and how much of that you can incorporate, and how much of it you’re doing that you’re unaware of."
"There’s something in there that feels very psychological, very emotional, and it felt like there was a way of exploring that along with the corruption in this place, Gotham," Reeves continued. "That feels very current. I think it always does. There’s almost no time when you can’t do a story about corruption. But today, it still seems incredibly resonant and maybe, from my perspective, maybe more so than maybe at other time."
So, while we won't be seeing the same old origin story, this "Year Two" tale is clearly going to reference that and build on it in a way that makes Bruce Wayne an even more interesting character.
As for exploring the corruption in Gotham City, that's likely a reference to characters like The Penguin and Carmine Falcone, two gangsters who use the city for their own nefarious purposes. Clearly, Reeves plans on touching on a lot of real-life issues with those particular stories.
Are you excited to see what Reeves does with The Batman?