‘We’ll have to see where that goes’: ‘The Batman’ director teases Robert Pattinson joining the DCU

When Matt Reeves undertook the Batman story for a new audience, he promised that his version would focus on its often-overlooked detective element. And while he lived up to this promise in the first installment, the story of Reeves’ Batman, starring Robert Pattinson, has since evolved into a “will they/won’t they” soap opera with an ever-shifting release date. Now, Reeves has thrown another spanner in the works by not outright denying the possibility of his version joining the DCU.

Matt Reeves was walking the red carpet of the Golden Globes in support of his excellent in-universe Penguin, which was nominated in three categories and won Best Actor in a Limited Series, with Colin Farrell walking home with a golden statue. Despite the successful night, what left tongues wagging was Reeves’ interview with MTV’s Josh Horowitz. They had a wide-ranging chat about Reeves’ work in the DCU, touching on the delays with The Batman Part 2, the possibility of Mr. Freeze being the villain in the sequel, and, most notably, the potential of Robert Pattinson’s Batman joining the DCU.  Reeves didn’t confirm that Pattinson is joining the DCU, but he didn’t deny it either. Reeves stated, “It really comes down to whether or not it makes sense,” and when Horowitz pressed him about what he would do if the executives insisted that Pattinson has to join the DCU, all Reeves said was, “We’ll have to see where that goes.”

This could be huge news for fans who have long clamored for a cohesive and interconnected universe. Perhaps even more important to fans has been the continued development of Pattinson’s Bruce Wayne — lest this be another case of Henry Cavill’s Superman, where the character isn’t given enough screen time to truly develop. The Batman was great, but even its biggest fan would admit we didn’t get nearly enough of Bruce Wayne in that first installment, as Pattinson was almost always in his cowl.

It’s worth mentioning that, after the release of the trailer for James Gunn’s Superman, it’s somewhat difficult to see how Reeves’ version of Batman would fit into the DCU. The version of Superman in that trailer could not be more different from Reeves’ world if they tried. Reeves is clearly prioritizing his own plans for his Batman saga and, as he’s shared, would only let his version interconnect if it “makes sense.”

The difference in tone could be an advantage, though, considering the nature of Batman and Superman in predominant comics is like night and day. The sensibilities seem fundamentally different; in The Batman, there wasn’t a single scene with midday sunlight, and the reverse is true in the Superman trailer, where not a single night scene is shown. The stark contrast between the two is what makes their meeting and collaboration so iconic. Creating a world where Metropolis and Gotham are too similar is perhaps what made the Snyderverse so polarizing.

Reeves was cautious with his wording when addressing whether his Batman will eventually join the DCU, revealing only that he has had discussions with Gunn but not sharing exactly how those discussions ended. However, it’s worth mentioning that Gunn has already stated his Superman will skip the origin story, throwing fans right into a universe where superheroes already exist.

We personally think they can make this work — there are too many talented people involved for them not to figure it out. And we’d love to see it.