Fans of superhero movies are very excited for Matt Reeves' new take on Batman's story in The Batman, which is to be released next March. It's especially appealing to people who are not enjoying the current DCEU and that franchise's take on the character, because it looks so different. Add in the casting of Robert Pattinson as the lead, and it's sure to be a hit.
Part of the appeal is that it doesn't seem to be engaging in the typical superhero tone that people are used to now, after big franchises like the MCU and the DCEU. The Batman is branding itself as very dark and moody with an edge, as opposed to big and colorful and campy.
Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Trilogy is generally seen as the best Batman series in existence. And to go even further, it's also often seen as one of cinema's best trilogies. It also takes a very serious and cinematic approach to the story, as opposed to a loud comic book moment. There are even similarities between Christian Bale, The Dark Knight Trilogy's Bruce Wayne/Batman and Robert Pattinson. Ultimately this means that The Batman has really taken on a lot of responsibility when it comes to being in the same league as The Dark Knight Trilogy, especially the second film, and it is entirely likely that it could fail.
What's widely considered the biggest star of The Dark Knight Trilogy is its second film, The Dark Knight. It's widely reported that it takes place just one year after the origin story film Batman Begins, but many think it's actually closer to five years. In this film, Bruce Wayne has pretty much got his Batman routine down, and he now meets Batman's most infamous foe: Joker. Heath Ledger's performance as Joker, for which he won a posthumous Oscar, is seen as one of the best film performances of all time.
The Batman is also said to be starting the story a little bit after its true beginning. It's set a year after Bruce has become Batman, so it's likely that the origin story will be skipped. That's putting it sort of in the same timeline as The Dark Knight, and will subject it to even further comparisons. Add on the similarly dark tone and goal, as well as a similar actor playing the lead, and The Batman is pretty much asking to be compared to one of the greatest movies of the century.
This is just such a risk, and no one knows as of yet if it will pay off. Maybe this is on purpose, because if they succeed it'll be seen as a real triumph, but if it fails it will forever be seen as "a worse The Dark Knight." There are some differences of course. In what is a really good move for the film in differentiating itself, The Batman will not feature Joker. Originally there were some rumors that it would tie into 2019's Joker but those really went nowhere. With both The Dark Knight and Joker featuring Oscar-winning Joker performances, it would have been seriously misguided to feature the character in The Batman. Especially after the DCEU tried and failed.
Even though Joker isn't appearing in The Batman, it still feels kind of hard to believe that its villains will be as effective as Heath Ledger was. It is confirmed that Catwoman, Penguin, and the Riddler will be appearing in the film, played by Zoë Kravitz, Colin Farrell, and Paul Dano respectively. These are all actors with some great roles under their belt and there's no doubt they'll do a great job. However, what Heath Ledger did with Joker was pure magic. It's terrifying and captivating. And it makes The Dark Knight a truly amazing movie, taking it from an already high level to a masterpiece tier. Is it possible to recreate that magic? Technically, yes. But it's a very difficult feat.
Overall, hopes are still quite high for The Batman. People are really excited, and it genuinely looks good and different. Maybe, it'll turn out absolutely nothing like The Dark Knight and bring something completely new to the character. Maybe it will be similar to The Dark Knight Trilogy but it will be comparable in quality and still be very successful. At this point, it's very hard to know.
While it may be unfair to be comparing these two works before The Batman is even released, the marketing is just giving audiences those vibes and it's hard to ignore. It's also worth noting that The Batman is also planned as a trilogy, which is just adding to the comparisons to Christopher Nolan's Batman adaptation. Because people are so excited, and because the DCEU's Batman installments have been lackluster, the pressure is certainly on for The Batman and hopefully it can deliver.