In a world where interconnected universes are what fuel the biggest box office hits, DC and Warner Bros. have yet to find their own magic formula. However, The Batman will not take part in those experiments, with official confirmation that this Bruce Wayne will be fighting solo.
Initially meant to be another Batman adventure starring Ben Affleck, who was also taking over directing duties, The Batman then slowly transformed into Matt Reeves' project until Affleck ultimately stepped down from the role. In its final form, the film will tackle Bruce’s sophomore year as Gotham’s caped crusader, reintroducing several familiar villains from his rogues’ gallery, all while he is still getting accustomed to his new life purpose.
Nevertheless, this new setting shouldn’t be reason enough for anyone to think Batman is getting rebooted so Robert Pattinson can join in with Wonder Woman, The Flash, or Joaquin Phoenix's Joker. Reeves and the entire team behind The Batman have always shunned the idea of connecting Pattinson's to a larger DC multiverse. However, producer Dylan Clark has now categorically dismissed it by saying to Empire, “We don't get involved in that. Matt is interested in pushing this character to his emotional depths and shaking him to his core."
The statement should not come as a surprise to anyone who’s followed Reeves' comment on the film. Early screenings and trailers for The Batman ratify that notion and paint Pattinson as a surprisingly good Batman, at least for now. In fact that’s been the entire goal for a director who wanted to be freed from the shackles of having to abide by the rules of the tumbling DCEU.
Batman fans should be excited by the news because the DCEU is not exactly the hottest property in Hollywood, with most of its movie entries failing to satisfy both fans and critics despite achieving relative financial success. This is especially true after Joker, another standalone film that checked all the boxes by clinching an Oscar for Phoenix, banking over a one billion dollars in revenue, while still remaining artistically independent.
The precedent for Batman is there already, given Christopher Nolan's accomplished Dark Knight Trilogy also became incredibly influential with a similarly grounded and more realistic approach, without Bruce having to call for help from the Justice League. Whether or not Reeves and Pattinson can match the Nolan and Christian Bale duo remains to be seen, but everything is lining up marvelously well to put together a fantastic version of Batman.
The Batman will be released exclusively in theaters on March 4, 2022.
Source: Empire (via SlashFilm.com)
