Robert Pattinson, the star of this year's The Batman, has revealed which previous incarnation bears the most influence on the new project. While some may guess the Christopher Nolan or Tim Burton films would have a hand in it, Pattinson actually cites 1993's animated cult classic, Batman: Mask of the Phantasm.
Mask of the Phantasm was a theatrically released spin-off of the wildly successful Batman: The Animated Series. The movie finds Bruce Wayne reuniting with a lost love named Andrea Beaumont, while Batman is on the hunt for a new serial killer called the Phantasm, who's picking off all of Gotham's crime bosses.
In an interview about The Batman for Premiere France, Pattinson explains this connection. ‘‘Batman is someone more... unstable. If you read between the lines, it's actually very sad... In my opinion, the only other [film] to achieve this is the animated film Batman: Mask Of The Phantasm," Pattinson explained. "When I saw it, it clicked: being Batman is a kind of curse, it's a burden... I don't think we've ever really seen that in a live film."
As Pattinson suggests, Batman: Mask of the Phantasm is a much more introspective and emotionally mature look at the Caped Crusader. It delves into the psychology of the Batman character, and the tragedy of leaving a normal life behind. The film has long been praised for these additions, with some fans hailing it as the one true Batman film, besting even The Dark Knight.
If Matt Reeves and company want to create the definitive live-action interpretation, there is no better starting point than Mask of the Phantasm. Because as incredible as other variations of Batman have been, let it be Burton's or Nolan's or the Adam West series, they've all taken many liberties with the source material. The Animated Series offered Batman in its purest form, and if some of that magic could translate over to The Batman, it would surprise and delight Bat-fans everywhere.
Director Reeves has also cited other influences on The Batman, namely 1970s crime thrillers including Chinatown, Taxi Driver ,and Klute; all of which feel very appropriate for the Batman universe. Fans will see how all of these influences pan out, and hopefully create something fresh and surprising, when the DC film finally premieres.
The Batman releases in theaters March 4th, 2022.
Source: Premiere (via @TheBatmanFilm)