With DC's most anticipated 2022 movie just around the corner in the form of Matt Reeves' The Batman, excitement is at a fever pitch for fans. After years worth of speculation, teasing interviews, and some exciting trailers, fans now have a good idea of what the general feel of this movie will be.
Likewise, comic book fans will also know some of the source material influences for Robert Pattinson's iteration of the Dark Knight, but the last few weeks have been even more illuminating. The cast and crew have been in full swing for marketing, and they've shed more light on the behind-the-scenes machinations of The Batman.
Bruce Wayne Was Partly Inspired By Kurt Cobain
On top of the obvious inspirations from some of the best Batman comics, Matt Reeves said in an interview with Esquire that Nirvana's late rock star Kurt Cobain was a driving force behind writing this Bruce Wayne. Reeves said in the interview that "Early on, when I was writing, I started listening to Nirvana, and there was something about ‘Something in the Way,' which is in the first trailer, which is part of the voice of that character."
Batman is a multifaceted character, and while that invites plenty of interpretation, it also makes it a challenge to tackle something new that maintains the spirit of the superhero. Using Kurt Cobain as a template looks fascinating already, as while the circumstances of his tragic passing are complex, it meshes well with a Bruce Wayne that's psychologically struggling in Wayne Tower.
Goodfellas Influenced The Violence
In terms of movies unrelated to Batman himself, Martin Scorsese's crime-drama Goodfellas played an influential role when it came to the intensity of the combat choreography. While that movie is by known means characterized by martial arts with its characters, Reeves told the French outlet Premiere "I wanted Goodfellas-style brutality," and cited the scene where Ray Liotta's "Henry Hill smashes a guy with his gun butt."
One of Batman's biggest physical assets is being one of DC's greatest martial artists, but the degree of violence used by Liotta, Pesci, and De Niro's characters would be an excellent way to convey how visceral this Dark Knight fights.
Robert Pattinson Is A Batman Fan
The stars seemed to align for the making of this movie, including casting the titular superhero. In an interview with the UK outlet Esquire, Reeves was already scouting Pattinson for the role, when it turned out the latter was already a big fan eyeing an audition.
The director/co-writer said, "He’d heard that we were doing this and got excited about the idea that there was going to be another version of this character." And after spending extended periods talking with Pattinson about the character and the script, he "realized, 'This guy is a massive fan'."
Pattinson Thinks Mask Of The Phantasm Was The Best Representation Of Bruce's Turmoil
Further showing off Pattinson as a fan of the character, the actor expressed what he believes to be the best Batman movie to represent the hero's fascinating and traumatized psyche. In another interview with Premiere, Pattinson said that "In my opinion, the only other to achieve this is the animated film Batman: Mask of the Phantasm," and how it captured that "being Batman is a kind of curse, it's a burden."
Particularly among the Caped Crusader's most ardent fans, Mask of the Phantasm is not only one of the best animated Batman movies, but the best in general. Across every live-action and animated movie, it's arguably the most psychologically introspective movie to capture the inner turmoil Bruce goes through in being Batman.
It Initially Took 4 Hours To Get Colin Farrell's Makeup Done
Fans were shocked to see Colin Farrell's transformation as the Penguin, as many figured his version would be a more slick rendition of one of Batman's greatest comic book villains. However, it turned out by the reveal of The Batman's first trailer in 2020 that Reeves opted for an incarnation of his comic book appearance mixed with grounded realism.
It's an astonishing look, and Colin Farrell said in an interview with Variety that it was quite the exhaustive endeavor. Farrell said that he had to be seated in the makeup chair for “four hours,” though, “Eventually they got it down to two." After seeing the unrecognizable final draft of Penguin in the trailers, it's a clear testament to the talent behind the makeup crew.
An "R" Rating Was Never Truly In The Cards
There was certainly plenty of fan speculation that The Batman could be the first theatrical movie for the superhero to be rated R. The first trailer especially gave off an even grimmer atmosphere than Christopher Nolan's revered The Dark Knight Trilogy, namely with the taste of that aforementioned visceral violence.
But producer Dylan Clark -- who worked with Reeves on his Planet of the Apes reboot movies -- said it was never intended to be rated R. Clark told FilmsActu "It wasn't made to be rated R. For us, it is above all a question of tone." While more of a "hard" PG-13, The Dark Knight demonstrated that Batman can be suitably gritty in live-action without an R rating.
"Good Time" Was Largely What Convinced Reeves To Cast Pattinson
As Reeves was being sold on Pattinson and the latter was also vying for an audition without being aware of each other, the director namely cited Good Time as the movie that cemented him as Batman. The Safdie brothers' drama has Pattinson in the leading role as one of the vilest characters audiences will see, and that's exactly what proved to Reeves of the actor's range.
In the same Esquire interview, the director said that after watching it "I thought, 'Okay, he’s got an inner kind of rage that connects with this character and a dangerousness, and I can feel this desperation.'" Good Time's Connie Nikas and Batman couldn't be any more different, but the former's layer of mental instability will help drive this Dark Knight's portrayal.
Scorsese's "Taxi Driver" Also Helped Mold Bruce's Personality
Kurt Cobain is looking to be an apt fit for Pattinson's take, but Reeves noted in the Esquire piece that another Scorsese classic played a direct role. He pointed out that in a Year One panel he looked like "he’s dressed in what I thought looked like an image out of Taxi Driver."
Robert De Niro's Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver is a dangerously unstable character dealing with PTSD, with his wardrobe often reflecting his erratic and ragged nature. Meanwhile, Bruce Wayne in The Batman more often than not looks to be in a similar mindset.
Matt Reeves & Frank Miller Were On The Same Wavelength With Taxi Driver
Writer Frank Miller of the definitive Year One was thinking similarly to Reeves while the latter pieced together this tattered Bruce Wayne. Later in that same interview, it's pointed out that Miller wrote to artist David Mazzucchelli in a note saying that he needed Bruce "to basically look like he’s won a Taxi Driver-lookalike competition."
The director laughed when he read that note in the comic book, which proved to be a fascinating development aside from the coincidence. It showed that pieces of what Reeves will soon put to the screen were, in a way, over 30 years in the making.
Pattinson Auditioned In Val Kilmer's Batsuit
Though the director was already convinced of Pattinson's talents at this point, he still needed to come in for an audition. In the Esquire interview, Reeves revealed that the actor auditioned for The Batman wearing Val Kilmer's suit from Batman Forever. While he shined in the screentest, Reeves admitted "... as he started acting, he started heating up the cowl and the cowl started to sag on his face."
It sounded like a heavy burden to carry while trying to convey this moodily reclusive adaptation of the Dark Knight, but the tastes of this version fans have seen through trailers look convincing. Matt Reeves is certainly convinced.