To say that the past few weeks have been a rollercoaster ride for those of us looking forward to The Batman would be an understatement. After Ben Affleck dropped out, we all breathed a sigh of relief hearing Matt Reeves would be taking his place in the director’s chair, only to have the wind swiftly knocked out of us. Then, a week later, Reeves had been officially welcomed back into the fold. Some thought the negotiations had to do with creative control, while others thought it had to do with money – or it could’ve very well been a combination of both.
Well, according to Splash Report, creative control was Reeves’ main concern. After Christopher Nolan made Warner Bros. a fortune that would make even Scrooge McDuck blush with The Dark Knight Trilogy, the studio was said to have given directors a little more leeway with their superhero films.
But when Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice wasn’t the runaway hit they expected it to be, reports surfaced that told us course corrections had been made, with Suicide Squad being recut to align with what focus groups liked, along with more studio oversight for Justice League.
In the time since, one director (Michelle MacLaren) departed Wonder Woman and two did likewise for The Flash (Seth Grahame-Smith and Rick Famuyiwa), all pretty much citing “creative differences.” And, if we’re to believe industry chatter, James Wan was ready to bolt from Aquaman unless he was given carte blanche.
Given all that knowledge, it’s totally within reason to believe that Reeves wants the same breathing room that Wan is being afforded. Not only that, but it’s also being said that he doesn’t want to adhere to any draft of the screenplay thus far submitted by the likes of Ben Affleck, Geoff Johns and Chris Terrio. In other words, it looks like he wants to make his Batman movie. And WB’s willingness to comply is what reportedly brought him back to the table.
Although none of us have read the script that preceded Reeves’ involvement, giving him license to do as he pleases is probably for the best. Let’s not forget that when filmmakers are given free rein, we get The Dark Knight Trilogy, and when the studio takes charge, we get Batman & Robin.
So, for now, all we can do is wish Reeves and company all the best when it comes to making The Batman the strongest movie it can possibly be. All I ask is that he keep Joe Manganiello as Deathstroke, as that character is long overdue for his big screen debut.
