Director James Wan says his flirtation with a Batman horror movie was briefly real, but he ultimately decided against it. Throughout the many comics, cartoons, video games and movies, Batman is a character who’s crossed just about every genre imaginable. From the colorful, campy fun of the 1960’s Adam West Batman TV show to the brooding, introspective darkness of Grant Morrison’s Arkham Asylum: A Serious House On Serious Earth graphic novel, there’s a tone for Batman fans of all ages.
While the live action Batman movies have flirted with the horror genre, there’s never been a flat-out Batman horror movie. Batman Returns had Tim Burton’s gothic horror flavorings and Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice had some creepy dream sequences, but the focus of the franchise is ultimately on big scale action. Director James Wan recently got fans excited when he revealed he wanted to make a scary Batman horror movie before he got the job on Aquaman.
Related: Aquaman Director James Wan Wanted To Direct A Batman Horror Movie
While talk of a Wan directed Batman movie quickly got fans talking, no such project is in development. Now in a new interview with Happy Sad Confused, Wan confirmed that while his horror pitch was briefly real, he didn’t ultimately pursue it.
It was real for like 2 seconds. It wasn’t something I was necessarily going to pursue. I didn’t pursue just because I felt, you know, there’s been a lot of Batman stories. Which is great, I’m a big fan of the Batman world and the Batman character and I think there are great filmmakers that are going to come in and do great things with this character. I just ultimately decided that it probably wasn’t for me.
When asked if he felt the horror aspect is an element that hasn’t really been explored on the big screen, Wan had this to say:
I think so. I think that would be the angle that I would have taken it. You know, do a scary version of Batman. Whatever that means! (Laughs)
It’s unknown if Wan had any kind of story concept for his Batman horror pitch, and it seems like a concept he quickly talked himself out of. Wan is a horror veteran, having directed movies like Saw and The Conjuring, and there’s plenty of horror concepts inherent in the Batman mythology, including villains like The Scarecrow and Clayface. Wan could no doubt craft a unique, scary take on Batman, but judging by his comments, it doesn’t seem like something he’s interested in pursuing right now.
Matt Reeves forthcoming The Batman movie is still in development and is said to focus more on the detective side of the character. The Joaquin Phoenix Joker movie recently wrapped filming, and fans are getting very excited by the idea of a dark, standalone project. If that movie proves to be a success, it might inspire DC to take more experiments with their properties, so maybe a horror inspired take on Batman - with or without James Wan - could one day become a reality
More: Final Look At Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker In Costume As Filming Reportedly Wraps
Source: Happy Sad Confused