Colin Farrell has praised The Batman writer/director Matt Reeves for his “incredibly original” script. Farrell, who will be playing the Penguin in the upcoming movie, exalted his take on the franchise during a recent interview with SFX Magazine, saying:
“The whole prospect is really exciting. I’m ecstatic to be part of that universe. There are certain words that are part of my internal lexicon and those words are Gotham City, Penguin, Joker, Batman, Bruce Wayne, Harvey Dent… all of those things.
I have been watching the Batman films with my kids, but this script is something that feels incredibly original. It leans into it but it doesn’t borrow; it’s born of the mythology of that character, Bruce Wayne, Batman and Gotham. But it feels like a treatment and a version that I hadn’t seen before.”
Matt Reeves has done an incredible job of keeping it familiar and at the same time unique and new. It’s really exciting to be a part of it.”
Tantalizing is the word I’d use to describe these comments. Sure, actors always want to hype up their new movies (excluding Harrison Ford), but it’s exciting nonetheless and buzzwords like mythology always go down well. That said, it doesn’t tell us anything about what Reeves’ original vision will be.
So far, we’ve had at least three distinct big screen takes on Gotham City. There’s Tim Burton’s romantic fantasia, Christopher Nolan’s obsessive realism and Joel Schumacher’s latex paraphilia. Can Zack Snyder’s superhero pile-ups really be considered a vision? I’m not convinced.
As far as serious attempts at Batman go, the obvious tonal question is whether Reeves leans towards Burton or Nolan. Going by what we’ve seen of Pattinson’s suit and of his Batmobile, I suspect Burton will be the stronger reference point. I could be wrong though, as a few stills and set pics are a long way from the substantive material we need to make a conclusion. And given filming had to be paused for 4 months due to coronavirus, it’ll likely be some time before we do.
If you’re feeling hyped up by Farrell’s comments (like you weren’t hyped already), drop a comment below. There’s a mere 436 days until The Batman hits theatres. That didn’t really help did it? In my defence, nothing I can say will make that wait seem shorter. I could recommend being placed in a medically induced coma, but I’m not sure doctors are going to be receptive to your rationale. Best stay conscious for the time being.
