How The Batman & The Dark Knight Will Differ

The Batman director Matt Reeves is making comparisons between his DC Extended Universe project and Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight. The Batman has undergone some major changes since the solo Caped Crusader movie was first announced, including star Ben Affleck's exit from the director's chair and Reeves' hiring, as well as word from Reeves that he is starting the script for the film over from scratch. Even Affleck's departure from the role has been rumored, though both Reeves and Affleck has dismissed those claims, at this stage.

Complicating matters was a report around the time of San Diego Comic-Con in July, citing an unnamed source that Batman was being phased out of the DCEU, which Affleck denied during the Justice League panel at Hall H. Most recently, Ben Affleck's brother, Casey Affleck stirred the pot by saying his sibling wasn't going to star in The Batman, before later clarifying that he was "just having fun" with the casting comments and doesn't have actual first-hand knowledge of the situation.

Related: The Batman Was Sold as 'Standalone' to Matt Reeves

Now that the dust has settled a bit from all the hoopla, Reeves is discussing the tone The Batman will be taking on as his vision for the film takes shape. In an interview with THR reporter Kim Masters on her podcast The Business, Reeves said there's an emotional way to do a story about the famed DC character and cited The Dark Knight as a example that better illustrates his meaning:

"The Dark Knight, which I think is an incredible movie, the thing that really resonates about that is The Joker ... his story and that performance, and everything about the filmmaking that relates to that character – it's his (Heath Ledger's) movie. And I think Christian Bale is great, but I think that that movie movie really resonated with everyone because of that character (The Joker), its portrayal, and the way that the movie presented his unsettling perspective and the way that crashed up against Batman. I think I am interested in being even more inside of Batman."

Reeves comparison doesn't come as a surprise seeing as he's acknowledged being influenced by Nolan's Dark Knight Trilogy before, with respect to Nolan's serious approach to the subject matter. Still, it's interesting to hear that the focus of Reeves's first Batman film, as he moves on to a trilogy of his own, will be squarely on his own Dark Knight, rather than whichever villain comes to the fore to challenge the tormented protagonist.

The next question, of course, will be how connected The Batman will be to its DC Extended Universe predecessors. Reeves also discussed with Masters how Warner Bros. sold the idea of The Batman as a "standalone" movie, but for the time being it doesn't appear as though Reeves was being literal with his comment (seeing as The Batman was listed as part of the official DCEU slate just last month at SDCC).

Either way, you can expect Batman to continue evolving, following his introduction from Zack Snyder in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. As for The Joker: Warner Bros. and DC are reportedly now planning a Joker origin movie separate from the DCEU and possibly Ben Affleck's Caped Crusader (and his world). So whatever's going on, WB/DC are clearly far from being done with the Dark Knight right now.