Could The Batman herald the arrival of a new DC shared universe on the big screen? First announced as far back as 2014, The Batman has been gradually overhauled over the past 6 years, with Ben Affleck originally set to star in and direct the Dark Knight's next solo movie. Affleck's appearances in Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League courted divisive responses, and directorial duties for The Batman passed onto Matt Reeves before Affleck quit the role altogether, leaving Robert Pattinson to step into the superhero-shaped vacancy.
After Pattinson was cast, the pieces began to steadily fall into place. Set during Batman's early years as Gotham City's vigilante (but avoiding the pitfall of an origin story), Andy Serkis joined as Alfred alongside Jeffrey Wright as the new Commissioner Gordon. Filling out the villain contingent, Paul Dano is The Riddler, Colin Farrell is Penguin and Zoë Kravitz became the new Catwoman. Early images possess a very grounded and dark aesthetic that blends the more gothic, fantastical notes of Batman with the realism of modern superhero movies.
When Ben Affleck was still attached, The Batman was very much under the DCEU umbrella, but Pattinson's arrival looked to separate Matt Reeves' film into its own world. This might seem the most likely course, but The Batman could still be worked into the DCEU thanks to the multiverse that looks set to bust open when The Flash releases in 2022. There is, however, an alternative. The Batman may be neither standalone, nor connected to the DC. Instead, Pattinson's debut could mark the beginning of an entirely fresh Batman shared universe.
The DCEU Wasn't Supposed To Be A True Shared Universe
The fatal flaw behind the DCEU's mixed fortunes is the fact that the franchise wasn't mapped out as a shared universe from the outset. Man of Steel was initially envisioned as a standalone superhero movie in the mold of Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight trilogy, but as Marvel began to enjoy increasing levels of success with their MCU franchise, Zack Snyder's Superman was repurposed to serve as the progenitor of an overarching franchise. Even then, DC and Marvel took quite different approaches. Where the MCU used each movie as a building block towards a larger crossover, the DCEU essentially told isolated stories (Man of Steel, Wonder Woman, Suicide Squad) that hinted at and touched upon a wider connecting universe. Arguably, this strategy didn't serve the DCEU's actual team-up movies particularly well, as the likes of Batman V Superman and Justice League were left with too much ground to cover, but there's certainly a sense of freedom within DC's solo movies.
Following the Justice League debacle, Warner Bros. have consciously toned down the interconnected nature of their DCEU franchise, focusing more on individual films as opposed to the bigger picture. This has brought great success, with Aquaman and Shazam both positively received and Birds of Prey getting great reviews. Wonder Woman 1984 looks set to follow suit, and DC have also been free to explore entirely separate stories such as Joker. In this loosely connected format, the DCEU appears to have found its niche, perhaps taking the franchise back to what was originally intended. Nevertheless, the DCEU can't be considered a shared universe in the true sense, since stories and characters rarely bleed directly from one film into another.
How The Batman Is Building Its Own Shared Universe
As mentioned above, Ben Affleck's departure saw The Batman shift from an integral chapter of the DCEU to an essentially standalone story. Everything revealed so far, from character and plot details to the Batmobile and Batsuit, suggest a clean slate completely unconnected to any previous release. The Batman might have a surprise up its sleeve in terms of existing within an established continuity, but there's certainly no evidence of this right now. What has been hinted at by Warner Bros. and DC is the possibility of The Batman triggering a shared universe of its own.
Last month, a surprise announcement revealed that HBO Max would be getting a The Batman spin-off TV series set prior to the movie and based around Gotham City's notoriously corrupt police department. Seemingly ignoring the fact that Gotham only finished last year, the official announcement touted the GCPD series as the start of "a new Batman universe across multiple platforms," giving a crystal clear indication of DC's plans moving forward. Other than The Batman and the GCPD spin-off, no further projects have been announced within this framework, but DC do have Batgirl and Nightwing movies on the back burner. Both would have to wait until Pattinson's Batman was better established, but if there are hopes to launch an entire shared universe around the Bat family, these two characters will be integral in the long term. There's also a slim chance that Joaquin Phoenix's Joker could be the Clown Prince of Crime in Robert Pattinson's universe - a tantalizing prospect for Joker fans.
Unlike the DCEU, all indications point to this new Batman universe utilizing a more conventional, interconnected setup. The Batman and the GCPD TV series will naturally cross over to an extent, and releasing on multiple platforms provides the opportunity to expand on movie stories and characters in a way that the DCEU hasn't so far. The Batman appears to be introducing a glut of villains too - Penguin, Catwoman, Riddler and Carmine Falcone are confirmed, but Holiday and Two-Face could potentially also feature. This feels like a suspiciously large selection of characters... perhaps even too large to contain within a single film.
Why The Batman's Shared Universe Can Be Successful
By scaling back on the interconnected nature of the DCEU, Warner Bros. acknowledged that their attempt at a shared universe wasn't as successful as first hoped. The fact that fans spent 3 years campaigning for a different version of Justice League is testament to that. Fortunately, there's reason to hope that a shared Batman universe might fare better. Despite the explosion of the cinematic universe format, only Marvel has really made a success of the concept, largely through having the patience to slowly build a fictional world through a slew of solo movies before finally ripping the lid off with The Avengers. DC launched straight from Man of Steel to Batman V Superman, meaning Snyder had to connect the urban landscapes of Metropolis and Gotham with Themyscria, Atlantis, time travel, cyborgs and aliens all within the space of two films.
A Batman shared universe offers the same level of variety but on a more manageable scale. By limiting the action to Gotham City and one central figure (the Caped Crusader himself) less setup is required. Fewer threads to tie together is certainly something the DCEU might've benefitted from. Building a shared universe solely within the realm of Batman also retains an authenticity to the DC comics. While DC's printed world all takes place within the same multiverse, each individual title generally orbits around its own set of characters and stories. A Batman shared universe across various mediums would achieve something similar; with different projects focusing on different characters, but all within the confines of Gotham City.
Not only should this approach result in a more stable, sustainable cinematic universe franchise, but the strategy would also differentiate DC's future from that of their rivals. The MCU has promised the addition of the X-Men, the Fantastic Four and more to their already jam-packed world within the coming years, and only time will tell as to whether their execution can match their ambition. By zoning in on The Batman's world, DC can offer a tighter focus, starting off small and gradually expanding, and this approach gives the best possible chance at lasting superhero success.
