Exclusive: ‘The Batman’ writer Mattson Tomlin talks his approach to genre films

You may not be aware of the name Mattson Tomlin yet, but you will be. The fast-rising writer and filmmaker is one of the most in-demand talents in the industry right now, despite the fact his first produced screenplay only made it to the screen last year.

Of course, when that script happens to be Project Power, one of Netflix’s Top 10 most-watched original movies ever, a lot of doors tend to open. Tomlin also penned sci-fi romance Little Fish, shares a writing credit with Matt Reeves and Peter Craig on The Batman, and is staying in business with Netflix by developing a Terminator anime series for streaming and working with Keanu Reeves on BRZRKR.

On top of that, Tomlin’s feature directorial debut and passion project Mother/Android comes to Hulu on Friday, with his own experiences informing the story, albeit with a post-apocalyptic bent. Speaking to We Got This Covered, we asked Tomlin if Mother/Android was the right film at the right time for him to showcase his range as a talent, and here’s what he had to say.

“I feel like I should ask you that question. I hope so! No, thank you for saying all of that. The hope was always that this movie could really be a statement of the kind of filmmaker that I want to be, both as a writer and a director. Personal stories, you know, things I really care about. I have a tattoo on my hand that says, ‘Who cares?’. And that’s kind of the thing I’m always looking for is, ‘Can I really make people care and at the same time, be fun, be entertaining in a genre space?’. Because those are the movies I love. So hopefully this will set me on a path to just get to keep doing that.”

Mother/Android is an accomplished first-time effort that takes a smaller scope than you’d expect given the title and premise, and it’s set to continue his rapid rise up the ranks. The character-driven sci-fi comes to Hulu on Friday, so be sure to check back later in the week for our full interview with Mattson Tomlin.