ESQUIRE has a new feature article on THE BATMAN and here are a few highlights from their interview with director Matt Reeves…
Reeves on why he wanted his Batman film to be standalone and not part of a DC on film universe…
Ben [Affleck] had been working on a version of the script, and I said [to Warner Bros.], ‘Here’s the thing: I respect that the DC Universe has become an extended universe and all the movies were kind of connected. But another Batman film — it shouldn’t have to carry the weight of connecting the characters from all those other movies. I didn’t want them in there.
Reeves on the Kurt Cobain influence on Bruce Wayne…
Early on, when I was writing, I started listening to Nirvana, and there was something about [Nevermind song] ‘Something in the Way’, which is in the first trailer, which is part of the voice of that character. When I considered, ‘How do you do Bruce Wayne in a way that hasn’t been seen before?’ I started thinking, ‘What if some tragedy happened [ie: Wayne sees his parents murdered] and this guy becomes so reclusive, we don’t know what he’s doing? Is this guy some kind of wayward, reckless, drug addict?’ And the truth is that he is a kind of drug addict. His drug is his addiction to this drive for revenge. He’s like a Batman Kurt Cobain.
Reeves on wanting Robert Pattinson for the role of Batman/Bruce Wayne…
Of course, the idea []Batman is in year 2 of his career was to make him a younger actor. And in the process of writing the movie, I watched GOOD TIME, and I thought, ‘Okay, he’s got an inner kind of rage that connects with this character and a dangerousness, and I can feel this desperation.’ And I became dead-set on it being Rob. And I had no idea if Rob had any interest! Because, of course, he had done all of these indie movies after he established himself in TWILIGHT. He had heard that we were doing this and got excited about the idea that there was going to be another version of this character. And so when I met him, and he read the script, we talked for a long, long time and I realized, ‘This guy is a massive fan’!
Reeves on the (ignorant) “backlash” over Pattinson being cast as Batman…
There has been no actor, when his announcement that he was going to be playing Batman in one of the feature films was announced, that has not received a backlash. The people who were excited, I knew it was because they knew Rob’s work post-TWILIGHT. The people who weren’t excited, I knew it was because they didn’t know Rob’s work post-TWILIGHT
On the future of THE BATMAN-verse — which already has HBO Max spinoffs in the works…
I’m very proud of [THE BATMAN]. I felt it was the best version of the story that we could possibly do to justify having another Batman. [Sequels] will obviously have a lot to do with how people receive this film, but a lot of things are in the works.
Great stuff in a great article. And there’s A LOT more to check out, so CLICK HERE or any of the other links provided to read the whole thing. – Bill “Jett” Ramey
THE BATMAN hits theaters on March 4, 2022. Follow BOF’s Everything About THE BATMAN Page. Make plans to attend BOF’s THE BATMAN Watch Party.
