The Batman Is The Most Exciting Upcoming Superhero Movie

Matt Reeves' The Batman movie has the potential to be the best superhero movie coming out in 2021. While reports of a solo Batman film have been in the pipeline for years since Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, it unfortunately wasn't until Ben Affleck stepped down as director and star that the project really started moving. Since then, War for the Planet of the Apes filmmaker Matt Reeves replaced Affleck as director, bringing indie film darling Robert Pattinson on-board with him, who's no stranger to playing reclusive roles.

Reeves has been mum on the film, with the exception of his casting announcements on Twitter and the occasional bit of information doled out during interviews. Much of what is known is shrouded in secrecy, aside from the fact that the movie will feature several different villains from Batman's rogues gallery. Another major nugget of information regarding the movie is the fact that it will be more of a mystery than any other Batman film, placing distinct emphasis on the character's detective roots and his renowned intellect.

Despite the lack of concrete information on the plot of the movie, The Batman has already reached mind-blowing levels of hype from fans. From the film's random and frequent casting announcements to the leaked set photos from the start of production, every bit of news sounds somehow better than the last, and only adds fuel to the fire that this may be one of the best versions of the character on-screen yet.

The Batman Has The Best Director Of Any Upcoming Superhero Movie

Take a look at the roster of 2021 superhero movies coming out: Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness, Spider-Man: Homecoming 3, The Suicide Squad, Thor: Love and Thunder, and Black Adam. While all of them are unique in their own individual way, most of them are helmed by first-time or relatively unknown directors, with the exception of The Suicide Squad and Love and Thunder. This is a stark contrast to The Batman, which is being directed by one of the most talented and underrated filmmakers working in Hollywood today.

Reeves made his technical feature-length debut with 1996's The Pallbearer, a romantic-comedy film produced by J.J. Abrams. Since then, Reeves has dipped his toes into several different genres, including 2008's Cloverfield and 2010's Let Me In, an acclaimed remake of a Swedish-language film. However, the filmmaker's biggest claim to fame is the massively popular Planet of the Apes reboot franchise, of which Matt Reeves directed the latter two. Not only were both Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and War for the Planet of the Apes critically and commercially successful, but they showcased Reeves' talent for bringing humanity to even the most unorthodox of protagonists. The character work that was done with Caesar in the Apes franchise ranks among some of the best in recent memory, and is proof that Reeves' is capable of bringing intimacy and authentic emotion to massive blockbuster stories.

The Batman Has The Best Upcoming Superhero Movie Cast

The Batman Villains Colin Farrell Paul Dano Zoe Kravitz John Turturro

Not content with just having a stellar lead, Matt Reeves has gone above and beyond in terms of casting for The Batman. In the months since the news broke of Pattinson's casting as the iconic crime-fighter, Reeves has cast numerous other A-list actors in starring roles. These include Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth, Jeffery Wright as Jim Gordon, Zoe Kravitz as Selina Kyle/Catwoman, Paul Dano as Edward Nashton/The Riddler, Colin Farrell as Oswald Cobblepot/The Penguin, and John Turturro as Carmine Falcone.

While there's an undeniable draw to casting massive names solely for the purpose of crafting a noteworthy ensemble, Reeves is also aware of the over-the-top and larger-than-life nature of these characters. By writing a story involving so many members of Batman's supporting cast, Reeves had to ensure that each character was embodied by an actor with enough talent and enough presence to accurately portray them. The end result is a film chock full of Academy Award-nominated performers, each one dedicated to bringing that same level of humanity and authenticity to some of the most compelling, layered, and thematically rich characters in comic book history.

The Batman Has The Potential To Be A Great Movie, Not Just A Great Superhero Movie

Because of the insulated, episodic nature of superhero movies, most fans are happy with a film serving as a satisfying experience within the context of that franchise. People who have grown up reading about their favorite characters on the page are gratified by any cinematic outing that remains truthful to those stories, and while there's absolutely nothing wrong with that, adaptations by nature have the difficult task of reaching not just those familiar with the source material but those on the outside as well. This is why the most successful superhero adaptations, including Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Trilogy, have to reinvent their heroes in a way that pleases fans and honors the source while also enticing new viewers with a limited knowledge of the world.

The Batman has a golden opportunity to do both, because of a variety of different factors. One of the most obvious is the neo-noir, mystery atmosphere of the film. Audiences have been treated to 6 different incarnations of Batman in live-action since the 1960s, and while they've ranged on a scale from critically reviled to critically acclaimed, not one of them has truly emphasized the hard-boiled detective nature of the character. This has the potential to grab both comics fans as well as regular moviegoers, as most people love the unexpected nature of thrillers/crime-thrillers/mysteries.

Pattinson's presence in the film also promises that the material will be elevated away from standard, mindless blockbuster fare. While Pattinson is most known for his role as Edward Cullen in the Twilight franchise, he's also cut his teeth on several acclaimed indie films in the years since the series came to a close. Fans of arthouse cinema have already been keeping an eye on the production because of the presence of so many acclaimed actors, despite a distaste for superhero films. Pattinson has talked about his reluctance to sign onto franchise films before, citing his experience with Twilight as well as the lack of compelling characters. This means that Matt Reeves' vision for The Batman has something bold and exciting that made the star change his mind; something that will capture the hearts of pre-existing comic book fans as well as fans of traditional cinema, those looking for something unique to draw them into the orbit of superhero films.

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