Matt Reeves has explained his approach to tackling The Batman as a standalone film and not taking potentially inevitable sequels and spin-offs for granted. Matt Reeves' new take on the Caped Crusader has been a box office and critical success, proving to be worth the wait after several delays following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Fans have hailed the new interpretations of characters like Batman (Robert Pattinson), Catwoman (Zoë Kravitz), Penguin (Colin Farrell), and Riddler (Paul Dano) as being as close as possible to their definitive cinematic versions in comparison to previous adaptations.
With this level of success, there has already been plenty for fans to speculate on in regard to follow-ups for The Batman. A spin-off series focusing on The Penguin has already been greenlit for HBO Max, with Farrell reprising his role as Oswald Cobblepot, and an Arkham series also in active development. While nothing official has been announced, it seems somewhat inevitable that a full-fledged sequel to The Batman is also on the horizon, with Reeves seemingly having plenty of ideas for The Batman 2.
In an interview with the LA Times, Reeves elaborated on how he treated The Batman as a standalone feature and didn't pay much attention to potential follow-ups. After reflecting on how much creative control Reeves was granted in this new version, the director was asked about what further ideas he had in expanding the world that he had put on screen. Reeves answered by saying that he didn't approach the film with the assumption that there would be more to come and focused on telling a contained story that ensured the new Dark Knight was a worthy addition to the canon in its own right. Check out his full quote below:
"My feeling in doing the film was always that I would never treat it as chapter one, because chapter one assumes that there are more chapters. What I wanted to do was to make this movie a satisfying experience, so that people could experience a new version - a fresh version - of a character that they've loved, you know, that people - that the world has loved for over 80 years and I think if we succeed on that front, I know that I have a lot of stories that I want to tell and then we'll do chapter two, but not because we didn't make this one a complete experience."
Reeves' comments demonstrate the director's commitment to outlining the building blocks of his new universe before thinking about future tie-ins. The Batman itself was originally intended to be a very different project, initially billed as taking place in the DC Extended Universe and being a solo outing for Ben Affleck's Batman that the actor was to write and direct. The project was then handed to Reeves who was still set to make a movie within the DCEU starring Affleck until the actor and Warner Bros. parted ways and Reeves was granted full creative control with a total reimagining. Having been a part of that process, it's possible that Reeves didn't take the security of making a film in a popular, established franchise for granted and focused on making The Batman a solid film on its own that audiences would want to see more of.
Regardless, follow-ups to The Batman are coming and fans have been speculating on how they may see the world of the new Caped Crusader expand over the next several years. The Penguin series will shine more light on Farrell's Cobblepot and potentially go further into the world of Gotham's underworld and the Drops racket that the character was involved in. The Arkham series could be a gateway to introducing several members of Batman's rogue's gallery who may not warrant a dedicated feature film or who have already received numerous film incarnations, such as Barry Keoghan's Joker. Audiences also have a laundry list of demands for The Batman 2, from a story focusing on sinister villains like the Court of Owls or Mr. Freeze to the inclusion of Robin as Batman's kid sidekick. Whatever may come in the future, fans can appreciate the fact that Reeves has had the foresight to build a solid foundation with The Batman rather than become distracted by extensive plans for the future.
Source: LA Times (via Los Angeles Times En Español)
