Warner Bros. Excited About Matt Reeves' Batman Movie Idea

CBR

The Batman: Warner Bros. 'Really Excited' About Matt Reeves' Idea

By Geoff Miller

Published Jun 30, 2017

Director Matt Reeves, who's described his vision for a noir approach to The Batman, reveals that Warner Bros. appears excited about his idea.

With War for the Planet of the Apes arriving in theaters in two weeks, director Matt Reeves is about to his attention to The Batman.

After an initial stumble during negotiations, Warner Bros. and the filmmaker arrived at an agreement in February for Reeves to succeed Ben Affleck behind the camera. Although he's repeatedly cautioned in recent weeks that the film is the earliest stages of development, the director pulled back the curtain ever so slightly in a new interview, addressing his view of the Dark Knight, and the enthusiasm of the studio for his vision.

"What I see in Batman that I find so interesting is that, in a way, he reminds me of Caesar, in that he is a character with a really troubled past who is grappling within himself to try to do the right thing in a really imperfect world, in a corrupt world," Reeves told Variety. "That provides an opportunity, again, if you want to take that point-of-view storytelling — and I can imagine the story as being like a noir. The originals from the golden age were detective stories. I think if you can marry that with the personal, there’s a chance to do something very exciting."

Addressing the rough start to his relationship with Warner Bros., he said, "Let’s put it this way: I’ve never worked with them but my experience so far is really good, and as I describe what I want to do, they seem really excited. So it’s the beginning of a journey."

Many questions still surround the next Batman film, although Reeves recently tamped down rumors that Affleck might not reprise his role, assuring fans that November's Justice League won't be the last time the actor dons the cape and cowl.

The Batman stars Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne, Jeremy Irons as Alfred Pennyworth, J.K. Simmons as Commissioner Gordon and Joe Manganiello as Deathstroke. While there’s been no word yet of an exact release date, Warner Bros. is believed to be targeting 2019.