Batman’s movie appearances of late have focused on the Dark Knight’s more physical side. He’s is, after all, both vengeance and the night, so we’re kinda just used to Batman stalking through shadows and beating the bat-bejesus out of people. But Matt Reeves’ long-percolating Batman film wants to bring Bruce back to his more cerebral side.
It feels like The Batman (or whatever this movie ends up ultimately being called) is still a ways off in DC’s ever-fluctuating, ever-expanding plans for its cinematic slate. But still, it’s nice to get an update every once in a while to remind us that it’s actually still being thought about beyond the realm of “hey, is Ben Affleck gonna be in this thing or what?”
The latest update comes courtesy of an extensive sit-down Reeves had with the Hollywood Reporter, discussing his career, current projects, and of course, the long shadow of Batman. Here’s what Reeves had to say about his plans:
It’s very much a point of view-driven, noir Batman tale. It’s told very squarely on his shoulders, and I hope it’s going to be a story that will be thrilling but also emotional. It’s more Batman in his detective mode than we’ve seen in the films. The comics have a history of that. He’s supposed to be the world’s greatest detective, and that’s not necessarily been a part of what the movies have been. I’d love this to be one where when we go on that journey of tracking down the criminals and trying to solve a crime, it’s going to allow his character to have an arc so that he can go through a transformation.
Given Batman’s proliferation in movie form over the years, it’s nice to see that this latest addition to the Batmovie canon actually wants to explore the fact that, hey, this guy got his start in a little book called Detective Comics. Let him do some detective work!
As the DC movieverse continues to diversify and expand its tone, we can leave the big punchup spectacle to other heroes for a bit—a Batman film that’s a little more subdued, a little more about Bruce hunting for a mysterious case to solve? Something that’s dark and moody in the noir sense, and not so much in the, uh, Maaaaarthaaaaaa sense? That’s something that could be really worth the long wait we’ve had for this movie so far.
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