Matt Reeves provides an update on his noir-driven Batman film

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

Although I'm quite excited to see what Matt Reeves (WAR FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES) has in store for us with THE BATMAN, I wish they'd just come out and confirm whether or not Ben Affleck will be involved as the endless speculation isn't doing the project any favours. While speaking at a Television Critics Association panel earlier today, Reeves provided an update on where they're at with THE BATMAN, with the director saying that they're "working on getting our draft [in] the next couple weeks" and that if all goes well, it's possible that production could kick off sometime next spring or early summer.

In regards to Ben Affleck's involvement, Matt Reeves said that he was still speaking with the actor but wouldn't confirm or deny who will be playing the Dark Knight at the end of the day. "There are ways in which all of this connects to DC, to the DC universe as well," Reeves said. "We’re one piece of many pieces so I don’t want to comment on that except to say that I’m focused very specifically on this aspect of the DC world." The DC Universe has shifted its focus since Matt Reeves boarded THE BATMAN, but Reeves said that nothing has altered his original plans.

From the beginning, what I had always spoken about with Warner Brothers and what I was excited about was being in the Batuniverse and really doing something within that sphere.That was always what it was going to be so in that way it hasn’t changed a lot since I first met with them. It’s very much the same thrust if that makes sense. A lot of things have happened since then but the movie, and why I’m excited about it, is it continues to be the same inspirations and excitement of what we talked about in the beginning.

Matt Reeves was naturally hesitant to share any details about THE BATMAN, but he did say that they're not adapting any particular comic, although he did profess his love for Batman: Year One before confirming that his film wouldn't be a retelling of that comic. The story which Reeves is hoping to tell will be one which is emotional and reflect on Batman 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," Reeves said. "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."