Matt Reeves shared a quick glimpse at his upcoming film The Batman, which will be a superhero flick based on the popular DC Comics character. The film will star Robert Pattinson as the titular caped crusader and the film looks to follow him in his early years as the brooding vigilante.
Reeves has been quiet regarding interviews or even sharing little hints about The Batman, which is good because surprises make the film more enjoyable for fans. Recently, the director finally came out of hiding to share a picture of the editing room, a messy desk, and a quick screengrab that shows Pattinson's Batman in action. The frame is a little blurry, as the shot has a depth of field effect that highlights Batman's grapple hook while he's blurry in the background.
Fans are excited to see this new take on The Batman, especially with the pairing of Reeves and Pattinson because they've both have been hitting their stride these past few years with their releases/performances, respectively. Pattinson's Batman is more angry, brutal, and relentless than the past versions many fans are used to. The reason for this is because this new film will tell Batman's beginning years as the masked crime fighter, which means he's a much younger Dark Knight than the recent Ben Affleck portrayal.
Those who attended early screenings have reportedly praised The Batman and many have been calling it dark, even going as far as to say that Warner Bros. should release the full three-hour cut into theaters instead of the "watered down" shorter version. There were also reports of The Penguin having a smaller part than fans anticipate, which isn't a bad thing since he may be a returning character for a future film, especially with the reports that the Penguin will get his own HBO Max project.
The route Reeves is going for with The Batman makes it feel possible that this film will rival Christopher Nolan's trilogy. Reeves really wants this film to be its own universe with no ties to the current DC Extended Universe, which means no ties to Aquaman, Wonder Woman, Shazam, Flash, or Man of Steel. There's no telling how the higher-ups at DC will take this or move the franchise forward, but depending on how The Batman goes, fans may get the best thing that ever happened to the caped crusader in a cohesive standalone movie series.
This film was originally going to star Affleck and deal with his Batman facing off against Joe Manganiello's Deathstroke. Fans still want to see that movie happen and depending on what the upcoming Flash movie does to the timeline, nothing is out of the realm of possibility.
The Batman is slated for a March 4th, 2022, theatrical release.
Source: Matt Reeves/Twitter