Matt Reeves taking inspiration from Jekyll and Hyde for Batman movie

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

Who really wears the mask? Is it Bruce Wayne or Batman? This is a question which the franchise has tackled on many occasions over the decades, and it seems that it's something which Matt Reeves will be pursuing in the upcoming standalone BATMAN film. While speaking at the Television Critics Association press-tour about the upcoming Mark-Paul Gosselaar TV show The Passage, on which he serves as an executive producer, Matt Reeves was asked by IndieWire about Batman's identity and whether or not Batman or Bruce Wayne is the real person.

Gosh, that’s a tough question. I think that it’s interesting, because one of the things that I’ve found interesting, just as we’re working on the story, is looking back at Jekyll and Hyde, and the idea of your shadow-self, and the idea of, we are all multiple things. It’s different aspects of who we are, and I think there are times when maybe the surface of Bruce is not really who he is, but that’s his disguise. There are times when Batman’s the disguise, but there are times when his true essence comes out, because by being veiled, a kind of instinctual side comes out that’s very pure.

"It’s not an easy question to answer, in that I think that we are all made up of so many different aspects of ourselves that make the whole. I don’t know if you could ever reduce anyone to one part of what they express," Reeves added. "That’s what’s fun about his character, is that there’s a very bright light that shines on his shadow side. The idea of all of that is incredibly exciting. It’s part of what makes it fun for me to work on."

The WAR FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES director has previously said that he's hoping to tell an emotional story which will reflect on Batman's role as the world's greatest detective.

I’ve talked about making it a very point of view noir-driven definitive Batman story in which he is investigating a particular case and that takes us out into the world of Gotham. I went on a deep dive again revisiting all my favorite comics. Those all inform by osmosis. There’s no continuation of the Nolan films. It’s very much trying to find a way to do this as something that for me is going to be definitively Batman and new and cool.

Production on THE BATMAN will hopefully get underway next year.