Batman Begins writer David Goyer has shared his thoughts on The Batman, as well as Robert Pattinson's portrayal of the Dark Knight. Directed by Cloverfield's Matt Reeves, The Batman released in March 2022. The movie, which was reworked to remove all connections to the DCEU after Ben Affleck exited the original project, introduces Twilight alum Pattinson as a new version of the Caped Crusader, focusing on his early crime-fighting career in Gotham City. Besides Pattinson, The Batman also features Zoë Kravitz, Paul Dano, Jeffrey Wright, Andy Serkis, and Colin Farrell. Reeves' movie has been praised for its detective-focussed story, gritty cinematography, and compelling performances. As a result, Warner Bros. green-lit The Batman 2, with both Pattinson and Reeves returning.
As a different take on the DC universe, Reeves' The Batman pulled heavily from comics like Year One, The Long Halloween, and Ego. Reeves referred to those story arcs to develop a movie that more significantly highlights the "World's Greatest Detective" Bruce Wayne/Batman arc, while at the same time exploring the grief, trauma, and horror the Gotham City vigilante experienced early on in his career. In a diversion from Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy, The Batman also deals with themes of class conflict, inequality, and police brutality, with an explicit exploration of Bruce Wayne's morality and material wealth as opposed to his nemesis, Dano's Riddler.
Now, filmmaker and novelist David S. Goyer, who wrote the screenplay for Nolan's Batman Begins, has weighed in on Reeves' new take on the Dark Knight, as well as Pattinson's portrayal of the character. In an interview with IGN, Goyer explained that initially, he did not know how to react to Pattinson's casting as Bruce Wayne. However, the writer praised The Batman's unique approach to the iconic DC character's story, particularly the "detective angle" and noir-driven plot:
"I think Matt Reeves is a very good filmmaker ... I had no idea what I would think of [Robert] Pattinson but I liked him. And I was like, I buy it. He's a different take on it. But I buy it. I thought the chemistry with Zoë [Kravitz] was amazing. I liked how Noir it was and I liked that they went in the detective angle and I liked what they did with Riddler. I liked it."
While Goyer has only now expressed his thoughts about The Batman, Nolan himself has been supportive of Reeves and Pattinson's take from the beginning. When the first The Batman trailer was released, Nolan commended Reeves' filmmaking and Pattinson's performance, calling him "one of the greats" (the pair collaborated on 2020's Tenet). Other notable filmmakers and actors have also praised The Batman. Director Edgar Wright lauded the film's Batmobile chase scene, while Danny DeVito expressed his enjoyment of Colin Farrell's Penguin. Ultimately, however, praise from the writer behind the movie that kicked off the more gritty, dark version of superhero movies that is so omnipresent today, Batman Begins, is certainly among the most coveted.
The acknowledgment from a veteran Batman film writer like Goyer is a testament to Reeves and Pattinson's work. It is telling that the writer pointed out The Batman's "different take," given the film represented a major diversion from Batman Begins' origin story, choosing to forgo showing the Waynes' death altogether and focus on Batman's detective arc. Both movies are ambitious and gripping in their own unique way, offering immersive storytelling and stunning visuals. Now, it will be interesting to see what Reeves does with the upcoming sequel to The Batman, which is set to continue this very different iteration of DC's iconic hero.
Source: IGN