Late last night, we heard that some news pertaining to The Batman would drop today, and though we may be waiting for the official word from Warner Bros., Revenge of the Fans has managed to dig up some dirt in the process. Please keep in mind that nothing has been confirmed at this point, but what we’re about to discuss sounds more than plausible.
Naturally, we expect for director Matt Reeves to craft his own tale spotlighting the Caped Crusader, but like any other filmmaker venturing into the superhero genre, he’s going to be looking to the comic books from which they originated. According to Mario-Francisco Robles, there’s one in particular inspiring this piece – and that’s Batman: Year One.
Similar to how The Dark Knight Returns lent considerable influence to Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, showcasing an experienced Masked Manhunter will be juxtaposed by exploring his earlier days as a crimefighter. After Christopher Nolan achieved this so well with Batman Begins, I find the idea to be somewhat redundant, but I’m not the one calling the shots.
Still, it’s important to note this won’t be a strict adaptation by any means, as Robles is yet another person reaffirming that the Penguin will serve as an antagonist. What he does shoot down, however, is any sort of appearance to be made by the Court of Owls. Anyone familiar with Year One knows that flamboyant villains weren’t really touched on, so that’s why it’s imperative we continually insist that you not expect an exact retelling of Frank Miller’s classic.
If anything, this speaks to all the constant back-and-forth saying Reeves wants a younger lead to headline The Batman, though I’m not sure it was entirely necessary to go this far back on the timeline. Gripes aside, it certainly affords him much wiggle room as a storyteller because, let’s face it, Zack Snyder rebooting Batsy as a guy in his 40’s kind of did paint everyone else into a corner in a creative sense.
