As you’re probably aware of by now, the internet broke yesterday evening when word came down that Warner Bros. are developing a movie exploring the origin of the Joker, and that a younger actor who is not Jared Leto will be cast in the title role. Furthermore, it’s part of what Deadline referred to as “the first film under a new banner that has yet to be named in which WB can expand the canon of DC properties and create unique storylines with different actors playing the iconic characters.”
Now, I could rant about everything that’s wrong with that, but that’s a discussion for another time. Still, none of us can help but wonder which other films may fall under this new banner. And while only those in Burbank really know all of the answers, one inclusion may have been under our noses this entire time. We are, of course, talking about The Batman.
Before we proceed any further, I’ll ask you to recall the strange journey accompanying Matt Reeves to the director’s chair. As you may remember, he walked away from the negotiating table before officially taking the gig about a week later. Supposedly, this was because he wanted creative control over the project, which is only understandable for a filmmaker of his stature.
In the time since, we’ve seen various things corroborate just that, but none more telling than the quote you’re about to read. Truth be told, the interview in question was conducted by KCRW weeks ago and is just now making its rounds, but what Reeves had to say at the 25:55 mark is nothing short of a bombshell:
“Well, I have a vision for a way to do something with that character [Batman] that feels like it resonates with me personally, and a perspective that can grow outward into other things. When they [Warner Bros.] approached me, what they said was ‘look, it’s a standalone, it’s not part of the extended universe.’”
Keep in mind that’s a direct quote, so there’s not much room for interpretation. Still, we can’t rule out the possibility of The Batman being tied to the larger scheme of things while also being its own thing. But now that we’ve heard about this new banner affording filmmakers much in the way of creative freedom, it certainly opens the door for Reeves to tell the story of a younger Dark Knight – or any other he may see fit.
In all honesty, this lifelong fan of the Caped Crusader simply hopes for the best movie possible and I don’t care if it fits in with the DCEU’s agenda or not. After all, neither Tim Burton nor Christopher Nolan had to worry about cinematic universes when giving us the stuff of legend, so why should Reeves?
