Matt Reeves' The Batman is once again taking an early career approach to the Dark Knight, something that was last seen in Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins. Nolan's story felt more like Frank Miller's Year One, focusing on the Bat going after gangsters and ground-level crime like the Falcone empire.
Another young Batman story is Year Zero from Scott Snyder, which dives into the Caped Crusader's first few months on the job, even putting him up against a Riddler that wanted to torture him and control Gotham. However, if you're looking for source material that closely matches what Reeves is going for, you should actually be reading Geoff Johns and Gary Frank's Batman: Earth One series.
Reeves' movie will follow Batman in his second year of crimefighting, and Earth One matches this narrative perfectly. The first year's covered in Vol. 1 which dealt with the Bat cutting his teeth and taking down Mayor Cobblepot after investigating the death of his parents in a political scheme after Thomas ran for mayor. Vol. 2, however, uses the Riddler as a warrior for social justice. He kills key members of an elite circle who inherited Cobblepot's empire, actually doing the city a favor in the process.
Fans saw hints of this with Paul Dano's Riddler in The Batman teaser as he calls out the lies of the city, the cops, Batman and even the Wayne family. Earth One Riddler also took this route, pushing Gotham and the Bat to their breaking points because he knew the city needed a savior who was unafraid to take down the privileged, not just some vigilante hiding behind a mask who only dealt with scum in alleys. While the Riddler in Earth One turned out to be one of the inner-circle, trying to take his colleagues out so he could receive their share of the empire, the vibe he gave off matches Dano's energy.
Vol. 2 also has Bruce using Lucius Fox and the Wayne Enterprises science team to build a car that wasn't a tank. He wanted a Batmobile that's believable and functional, which is what Reeves has done for Robert Pattinson's Caped Crusader with a sleek muscle car. In addition, Earth One's Alfred is rugged, a bodyguard and someone who loves guns and violence, a mold that Andy Serkis' butler could fit in this new iteration. To top it off, Batman dropping the same "vengeance" line in Earth One that he does in the trailer, hinting that the two versions of the Dark Knight are going about their missions in similar ways.
Most of all, though, the essence of Earth One matches up with the grim, brooding and macabre nature of Reeves' vision. Pattinson's Bruce appears to be carrying the guns that killed them in his chest, while Earth One's Bruce investigated the case for years, almost killing himself until he finds out it was just pure chance they got shot in Crime Alley. As a result, both versions will remain tormented in their formative years, fumbling around and learning on the job, something seen in Vol. 2 where Batman is still flawed. To put it simply, fans are looking at inexperienced and vulnerable Batmen who need an emotional support system.
The Batman is directed by Matt Reeves and co-written by Reeves and Mattson Tomlin. The film stars Robert Pattinson as Bruce Wayne/Batman, Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth, Jeffrey Wright as James Gordon, Zoë Kravitz as Selina Kyle/Catwoman, Colin Farrell as Oswald Cobblepot/The Penguin, Paul Dano as Edward Nashton/The Riddler, John Turturro as Carmine Falcone and Peter Sarsgaard as District Attorney Gil Colson. The Batman is set to be released in theaters on Oct. 1, 2021.