Director Matt Reeves is current out and about promoting his new film The Passage. During a Television Critics Association panel talk turned to his untitled Batman movie/The Batman (depending on how you refer to it).
First up Reeves touched on the recent rumours that the film will adapt the famous “Year One” storyline from the comics:
“We’re not doing any particular [comic]. Year One is one of the many comic books that I love. We are definitely not doing Year One. It’s just exciting to be focused very specifically on a tale that is defining for him and very personal to him. Obviously we’re not doing an origin tale or anything like that. We’re doing a story that is definitively Batman though and trying to tell a story that’s emotional and yet is really about him being the world’s greatest detective and all the things that for me, since I was a kid, made me love Batman.”
Next up the director touched on changes which have taken place behind the scenes at Warner Bros. and DC Films. It’s no secret that several high profile roles have changed in the wake of Justice League and its luke warm reception.
It seems as though those changes have not had an affect on Reeves and his plans for the movie:
“From the beginning, what I had always spoken about with Warner Bros. and what I was excited about was, being in the Bat-universe and really doing something within that sphere. That was always what it was going to be so, in that way, it hasn’t changed a lot since I first met with them. It’s very much the same thrust if that makes sense. A lot of things have happened since then but the movie, and why I’m excited about it, is it continues to be the same inspirations and excitement of what we talked about in the beginning.”
In fact Reeves also debunked rumours that the film would be an entirely new Batman franchise set outside the context of the DC Films Universe thus far:
“There are ways in which all of this connects to DC, to the DC universe as well, we’re one piece of many pieces, so I don’t want to comment on that except to say that I’m focused very specifically on this aspect of the DC world.”
Of course the one question on every fans lips is who will play Batman? Will Ben Affleck return to the role once more or will a new actor take on the Dark Knight?
Reeves confirmed that he is still “in contact” with Affleck on the topic of Batman. He would not elaborate any further however.
At this stage he confirmed that the script is due to be given back to Warner Bros. in the next couple of weeks. If all goes to plan he told the gathered press that he plans to shoot the film in “Spring or early Summer” of 2019.
Excited?
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