The Batman director Matt Reeves reveals he tried to talk Warner Bros. out of hiring him for the film due to his uncertainty of the original vision. Reeves first rose to prominence in the late '90s serving as co-creator and showrunner on the hit drama series Felicity before going on to make a name for himself on the big screen with his work directing Cloverfield, which was produced by Felicity co-creator J.J. Abrams, and writing and directing a remake of the Swedish horror film Let the Right One In. The filmmaker would ultimately receive his highest level of acclaim with his work in the Planet of the Apes reboot trilogy, directing the first sequel Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and writing and directing its final installment, War for the Planet of the Apes.
Reeves' The Batman serves as a reboot of the Dark Knight's film franchise as it explores Bruce Wayne in his second year of fighting crime, in which he uncovers a deep web of corruption with ties to his family's past, all while trying to track down the cryptic serial killer known as The Riddler. The film has attracted an all-star roster of performers, including Robert Pattinson in the titular role, Zoë Kravitz as Selina Kyle/Catwoman, Paul Dano as The Riddler, Jeffrey Wright as Gotham Police Lieutenant Jim Gordon and Colin Farrell as The Penguin. Reeves is planning a full franchise around The Batman, including a trilogy and two spin-off shows for HBO Max, though apparently this wasn't always the case for the filmmaker.
While speaking with Esquire to discuss the film, Matt Reeves opened up about the long road for The Batman's development. The director recalled initially trying to talk WB out of hiring him for the movie, citing his uncertainty over the original script's focus on action and extensive DCEU connections and his desire to make a more "personal" approach to the character and his world. See what Reeves shared below:
"It was very action-driven. It was very deeply connected to the DCEU, with other major characters from other movies and other comics popping up. I just knew that when I read it this particular script was not the way I’d want to do it, I said 'look, I think maybe I’m not the person for this' ... This take, I told them, pointing at the script, is a totally valid and exciting take. It is almost James Bond-ian, but it wasn’t something that I quite related to."
Before it became a reboot separate from WB's interconnected universe, The Batman was planned as a solo film in the DC Extended Universe with Ben Affleck starring, co-writing and directing, which was said to be largely inspired by the Arkham Asylum video game and would explore the death of Robin and include Joe Manganiello's Deathstroke as the primary villain. Reeves was originally brought in to direct in early 2017 after Affleck elected to step down from the position, though following the star's later departure from the role entirely, Reeves was kept on and allotted the opportunity to rework the project towards a younger Batman separate from the DCEU. This new approach would lead to the current iteration of the film, with Pattinson brought on to replace Affleck as the solo Batman while the latter would later elect to return for one final go in The Flash, in which Michael Keaton's Batman would also be brought back to become the DCEU's new Dark Knight.
Despite his initial reservations for The Batman, it's become apparent Reeves and Warner Bros. agreed on a positive new direction for the franchise and character. Audience anticipation is high for the new film, with praise going towards Reeves' desire to explore Batman's detective skills and the unique relationship between he and Catwoman, while the studio moving forward on two HBO Max spin-off titles show a confidence in the director's plans for the character. The wait for The Batman is nearly over as the film hits theaters on March 4.
Source: Esquire
