The Batman director and co-writer Matt Reeves explained why Robert Pattinson's Caped Crusader won't meet Joaquin Phoenix's Harlequin of Hate from 2019's Joker anytime soon.
During an interview with Total Film, Reeves addressed whether the idea of a crossover had been tossed around. "Not really," he said. "I was finishing the Planet of the Apes movies when I first came on board, which is 2017. It's been five years in the making. When I was working on the script and got deep into the script, Joker hadn't come out yet. I didn't know what Joker was or what it was going to be, and then I became aware of it once we were very deep into the film, and the fact that they were grounding things in a way that was reminiscent of things that we were doing -- that wasn't planned."
Reeves concluded by saying Joker "was always meant to be a very specific standalone" film. "There was never really any discussion of crossover," Reeves added. "But it was interesting to see that we were trying to ground our stories and that audiences were excited about the fact that you could take Gotham and make it feel so much like our world. That was something from the beginning that I had wanted to do."
Phoenix's Joker isn't the only character Robert Pattinson's Batman may not cross over with. Pattinson recently explained why Superman existing in the universe of The Batman would take some serious problem-solving. "We've been talking about how to get the fantastical elements, because [Reeves'] world -- his take on it is so grounded." said Pattinson. "We were talking the other day, like, 'Can you add Superman into it but he just doesn't have any powers? He's just a guy in a cape?' He's just like, 'I'm Superman!' And they're like, 'So?'" Interestingly, the prequel novel Before the Batman: An Original Movie Novel (The Batman) confirmed that Lex Luthor -- aka Superman's archnemesis -- exists in The Batman's world.
While The Batman may not see any crossovers in the near future, Reeves recently brought up his plans for a "Batverse," noting that "the idea, of course, is that Gotham's story never ends." The movie lays the groundwork for several spinoff shows for HBO Max, one centering on the Gotham City Police Department and the other following Colin Farrell's Penguin. Reeves also said he's "talked to the HBO Max folks" about a Catwoman spinoff and teased that one of the spinoffs will be linked to Arkham Asylum.
After several delays due to the coronavirus pandemic, The Batman will finally open in theaters on March 4.
Source: Total Film, via GamesRadar+