Once upon a time, the plan at Warner Bros. was for Ben Affleck to direct and star in The Batman. Later, we'd find out the actor and director had passed the reigns to Matt Reeves, though it didn't take long until we learned of the filmmaker's plans to tell his own story revolving around the Dark Knight.
With Robert Pattinson cast as Bruce Wayne, it became apparent that this wasn't a prequel or a story set in the DCEU. Instead, it would take place in its own world which has since been dubbed the Batverse.
Talking to producer Dylan Clark last week, we asked how quickly he and Reeves realised that setting The Batman in the same reality characters like Aquaman and The Flash call home just wouldn't work. "You know, from the beginning when Matt started to think about the story he wanted to tell, Warner Bros. was really open and game to doing that original version of what he wanted."
"Matt is a real filmmaker who is trying to do something unique and different and great," Clark continues in the video above. "It’s a testament to Warner Bros. that they really did want to have a standalone Batman movie that, hopefully, can grow into sequels and other things."
Elsewhere in our interview, Clark explained why what's come before was still key to this vision. "We were really trying to make something that felt contemporary that was in the tradition of the Batman movies. Again, Zack’s movies are great. Nolan’s movies are great. Those also have some dark tones to them; we just think we’re following in the lineage of those movies."
The DCEU won't be without a Batman for long, however; Ben Affleck returns in The Flash this November to bid farewell to the hero, and Michael Keaton is expected to take over after a 30-year absence. He'll also appear in Batgirl, a project set to add another Caped Crusader to that world.
Be sure to check out our spoiler-free review of The Batman by clicking here.
The Batman in cinemas 4th March.
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