The Batman might be yet another film reboot for the Dark Knight, but it sounds like it won’t play out like all the other origin stories we’ve seen. Director Matt Reeves spoke to The Nerdist recently and revealed that he didn’t want to tell Batman’s origin again, but instead wanted to come at it from a different angle:
I wanted to do not an origin tale, but a tale that would still acknowledge his origins, in that it formed who he is. Like this guy, he’s majorly struggling, and this is how he’s trying to rise above that struggle. But that doesn’t mean that he even fully understands, you know. It’s that whole idea of the shadow self and what’s driving you, and how much of that you can incorporate, and how much of it you’re doing that you’re unaware of.
Reeves took over writing and directing duties from Ben Affleck on The Batman, and this origin-acknowledging approach might be another reason the actor left the role given his Batman was older and more experienced. That left the door open for Robert Pattinson to don the cape and cowl after years of the actor ditching his sparkly vampire image in fantastic performances in odd independent films.
What we can all really hope is that this means Martha and Thomas will finally get to be not killed in a Batman movie. Their deaths have been featured in so many Batman films that at this point it’s a kind of miniature trope. While the death of Bruce Wayne’s parents is obviously a key part of the character, it’s been established enough times that it’s refreshing to hear that a director wants to avoid that aspect of it.
The Batman‘s release is still set for release on June 25, 2021, though that date may change as production has halted on the film due to coronavirus.
