Matt Reeves Explains That THE BATMAN is Not an Origin Tale and That The Hero is "Majorly Struggling"
Matt Reeves has got some big plans for The Batman, as he wants his version of Batman to stand out from all of the others that we’ve seen on the big screen over the years. I believe that he and Robert Pattinson are going to deliver something different and special and I’m excited to see it!
While we continue to wait for the film to be released, Reeves has shared some of his thoughts on what he is planning. He makes it clear that he did not want to set out to make another origin story. This film is not that, this film will focus on a version of Bruce Wayne/Batman who is still struggling in a lot of ways.
While speaking with Nerdist, the filmmaker talked about his approach to Batman, saying:
“I’m going to pitch the version of Batman that I would do, which is going to have a humanist bent. And who knows if they’ll have any interest? If they don’t, then I won’t do it. And that’ll be okay. I was really lucky that they said yes.”
Reeves went on to explain his approach to making the film leans into the emotional side of the story:
“It’s not even like that’s an approach that I take, like it’s some kind of idea of, ‘Wouldn’t it be great?’ It’s sort of the only thing that allows me to understand how to do it. I can only understand where the camera goes and how to talk about the story, how to write the story, how to talk to the actors, if I understand emotionally what it is I have to do. Otherwise I’d be lost. Some people are incredible choreographers and they know how to create an incredible visual dance, or all of that kind of stuff. And I love that kind of stuff. But at the end of the day, I have to understand it emotionally.”
At this point, he confirms that the movie will not be an origin story, but it certainly will acknowledge his origin as it’s still something that he’s “majorly struggling” with.
“I wanted to do not an origin tale, but a tale that would still acknowledge his origins, in that it formed who he is. Like this guy, he’s majorly struggling, and this is how he’s trying to rise above that struggle. But that doesn’t mean that he even fully understands, you know. It’s that whole idea of the shadow self and what’s driving you, and how much of that you can incorporate, and how much of it you’re doing that you’re unaware of.”
It’s not hard to imagine that the tragic murder of his parents is something that you don’t ever really get over, and the death of his parents awakened something dark in him. This film will obviously focus on the character coming to terms with what this change within him means, who he is when he dresses up as Batman to fight crime, and also who he is as just Bruce Wayne. The director went on to say:
“There’s something in there that feels very psychological, very emotional, and it felt like there was a way of exploring that along with the corruption in this place, Gotham. That feels very current. I think it always does. There’s almost no time when you can’t do a story about corruption. But today, it still seems incredibly resonant and maybe, from my perspective, maybe more so than maybe at other time.”
So, The Batman is going to tell a deep and psychological story. I like everything that I’ve been hearing from Reeves regarding this film and it reinforces my opinion that this movie is going to be awesome.The Batman is set for release on June 25, 2021.