Matt Reeves To Direct The Upcoming Batman Solo - Part 2

[Iceman]

With the roster of villains they have already brought into the franchise sinister 6 looks likely.

Vulture
Shocker
Pre scorpion
Mysterious

Tinkerer(behind the scenes)

That's what I want!

 

[Greenlite]

What do these people at Hybrid Network or on Twitter really know?

The BOP shoot date which Marc got it spot on? lol

he's the guy on production settings getting dates/casting call info

 

[Mandon Knight]

Update (of sorts) from CBM....

When asked when fans would know whether Ben Affleck (Triple Frontier) would reprise his role as the Caped Crusader or if another actor would don the cape and cowl, the ever-reliable Kit coyly revealed, "The script is basically in, although Reeves will continue tweaking it and working on it. And I'm hearing the studio wants to start shooting in November. So let's say between now and then?"

 

[Loden Greatstorm]

I hope we get some confirmation at comic-con.

 

[jolldan]

Man I really hope he signs on again I really enjoyed Affleck's Batman.

 

[thebatfan5194]

Man I really hope he signs on again I really enjoyed Affleck's Batman.

If he doesn’t continue I’ll think of him as the “Andrew Garfield” of the Batman actors, i.e. an actor who could have been a great Batman had he had a better script/director to work with.

I generally liked his performance in BvS (the gala scene with Diana was peak Bruce wayne looks and acting wise).

 

[Pennywise]

DC Whispers: SHAZAM Trailer, BIRDS OF PREY Costumes, JOKER Will Be 'Heartbreaking,' More! - Revenge of The Fans

2018 came winding to a close, I had a pair of Batman reports that I’d like to circle back to for a moment.

In October, I wrote about the wait for the film and how it could be longer than anticipated.

In December, I wrote about how Reeves is taking Batman into very new territory, with a reliance on “detective thriller” elements as opposed to being more of an action film.

Both times, I cautioned you that the script for the film is still getting worked on and that the studio’s top priority is to get The Batman right. Hamada is well aware that their most bankable character has had a pretty rough go of it the last couple of years- Firstly because of the polarizing response to Batman v Superman, and Secondly because of the cold shoulder audiences gave Justice League.

So they’re not rushing anything. They need Reeves to stick the landing here as they prepare to give us next generation’s cinematic Batman.

As such, things are evolving and everyone’s main motivation right now is to make the film as good and as complete as it can be.

That’s why we’ve gone from Reeves saying in August that he thinks they’ll film in spring or summer of 2019, to just “summer,” to now Borys Kit of The Hollywood Reporter stating that the film could very well not enter production until November.

One of the things that seems to be getting a lot of thought is the amount of spectacle the film will have.

As I wrote about in that December piece, the first draft of The Batman was pretty low on spectacle. Some of you took this to mean that it’ll have “no action,” but it’s important to note that I never said that. What I did say was that the script’s primary focus is on telling a psychologically complex detective story that takes its cues from David Fincher films like Se7en and Zodiac.

And now the second draft has come in and, from the sound of it, Reeves has amped up the spectacle a bit. I don’t know what motivated him to bring a little more explosiveness to the proceedings- maybe the studio has loosened the reins on his budget a bit thanks to Aquaman?- but I hear the action quotient for the film will lie somewhere between Se7en and The Dark Knight.

So they’re still working out the exact size and scale for The Batman, and this explains why I’ve been hearing since October that this film should not be expected to get a 2020 release. 2021 is the year I keep hearing, even as others think it could take a little longer than that.

While it would, in theory, be feasible to film in November and get a Batman movie into theaters by Christmas of 2020, I think the much more likely option is that Reeves’ film will get a Summer 2021 release.

I know, I know. You’d love to hear me say that it’s filming very soon, will be out next year, and may or may not include Batfleck. But this is just what I’ve heard about The Batman, and the signs continue to point in another direction. Be patient, fellow Bat-fans. And open-minded, too.

Oh, and people continue to compare the dang script to Year One. Not because it’s an adaptation of that story, or another variation of Batman Begins. But because of its overall tone and feel. I get a lot of heat for sharing that comparison, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention it.

I guess we’ll have to wait (until 2021) to figure out why folks in-the-know keep comparing the script to that Frank Miller book.

For now, I also hear you should read Batman: Ego.

Thanks for reading!

 

[Boom]

Pity if Reeves turned in his first draft and the studio came back to him with "Needs moar action!" But so long as the film remains more skewed towards detective thriller, it's music my ears.

Batman meets Se7en. Give me it.

 

[Pennywise]

I really do hope it's still more of a mystery film! Some action is fine, but Reeves should have freedom!

 

[Rorschach2012]

Goddamn I've wanted a Batman movie that's inspired by Se7en for YEARS! This is AMAZING news. I'm liking EVERYTHING I'm hearing... I'm gonna chill the **** out and stop being impatient. If this turns out anything like they're saying, it's going to be the best Batman movie yet, and that's worth the wait.

 

[Astro13Zombie]

Goddamn I've wanted a Batman movie that's inspired by Se7en for YEARS! This is AMAZING news. I'm liking EVERYTHING I'm hearing... I'm gonna chill the **** out and stop being impatient. If this turns out anything like they're saying, it's going to be the best Batman movie yet, and that's worth the wait.

Wow

Your view of this movie sure has changed
Nice to see you excited about it honestly

 

[Rorschach2012]

Calling it now...

The Riddler is the main villain
The Penguin is the secondary villain

It would make sense. Those are the two biggest villains we didn’t see in Nolan’s trilogy, and if they’re going for a detective story inspired by Se7en, what better villain to use than Riddler?

 

[Greenlite]

DC Whispers: SHAZAM Trailer, BIRDS OF PREY Costumes, JOKER Will Be 'Heartbreaking,' More! - Revenge of The Fans

I really do hope it's still more of a mystery film! Some action is fine, but Reeves should have freedom!

Pity if Reeves turned in his first draft and the studio came back to him with "Needs moar action!" But so long as the film remains more skewed towards detective thriller, it's music my ears.

Batman meets Se7en. Give me it.

I follow his Twitter but this article looks like patching old rumors together, except the bat action part

But seriously I watched War of Apes and all the bts just now, it’s not like Reeves shys away from big action pieces even in the most difficult conditions

He spent the whole day just to shoot a scene in the opening sequence of attack in that movie, and the actual gun fight in sequence was spectacular

Then he blew a bunch of stuff up so the CG looks real and went for an avalanche climax and he couldn’t shoot the avalanche because it was way too dangerous so Weta spent a year to build it up for him

And he shot the whole movie in snow

That’s all on top of all the emotions and character drama he emphasized so much in the bts and interviews.

He is a big fan of the apes since he’s a kid, and his discussions sound very familiar to the Batman talks, so he will likely put a bit of Easter eggs in the film even though they probably won’t link up completely to the continuity

Calling it now...

The Riddler is the main villain
The Penguin is the secondary villain

It would make sense. Those are the two biggest villains we didn’t see in Nolan’s trilogy, and if they’re going for a detective story inspired by Se7en, what better villain to use than Riddler?

I want the riddler as well tho I don’t know if seven and a serial killing riddler is compatible lol

I am intrigued what role Serkis might get, he would elevate the Penguin but I am hoping for the Joker, imagine all the Gollum Joker meme

 

[ArmsHeldOut]

Goddamn I've wanted a Batman movie that's inspired by Se7en for YEARS! This is AMAZING news. I'm liking EVERYTHING I'm hearing... I'm gonna chill the **** out and stop being impatient. If this turns out anything like they're saying, it's going to be the best Batman movie yet, and that's worth the wait.

You should check out Mario's earlier report from December then. Not sure why it largely went unnoticed around these parts.

At times like these, when I get info from someone who’s a little further away than other sources, I often try to lock in on the most basic elements and focus solely on those. Because the details and specifics may change, but if the core idea is very clear, that’s what matters. That’s why I’m not labeling this a “scoop,” or some sort of grand “exclusive.” It’s just…some stuff I heard, from someone I trust, that I’m keeping very vague in order to protect them.

Ok? So let’s get to it.

In the past, when speaking of his approach to The Batman, Reeves has said:

“In all of my films, what I try to do, in an almost Hitchcockian sense, is use the camera and use the storytelling so that you become that character, and you emphasize with that point of view. There’s a chance to do an almost noir-driven, detective version of Batman that is point-of-view driven in a very, very powerful way, that hopefully is going to connect you to what’s going on inside of his head and inside of his heart.“

In short, Reeves has said he wants to make a film that’s very cerebral; Something that would put Batman’s skills as a detective on full display as we try and solve a crime through his well-trained eyes.

And I’m told he delivered just that.

You see, traditionally, Batman has always been depicted as an action hero. In action movies. Because yes, even Christopher Nolan’s contemplative Dark Knight Trilogy was- at its heart- an action movie franchise. But some of what I’m hearing about Reeves’ script is that we’re looking at a complete tonal shift- a shift into another genre.

It sounds to me like early reports that Reeves was seeking inspiration for his script by watching some of David Fincher’s works (The Game, Se7en, Zodiac) were spot on. If you think about a film like Se7en, save for maybe a foot chase that lasts a fraction of its running time, Se7en is a dark, twisty detective story that relies on characters and plot to propel the story, as opposed to spectacle.

If what I’m hearing is true, that excites the heck out of me. And it explains why Reeves is taking his time. Because he’s not just making “the next Batman movie.” He’s making the new Batman movie. A complete paradigm shift from how the character’s traditionally been used on the big screen.

Sure, we’ve gotten glimpses of his detective skills, in films like The Dark Knight and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. But we’ve never seen Batman in a straight-up crime thriller that centers almost exclusively on him working a specific case- akin to plot lines we’ve seen in beloved books like The Long Halloween and Year One.

This, perhaps, explains why he’s in no rush. He wants to create distance between how we’ve traditionally viewed Batman at the movies and what he’s about to become: The World’s Greatest Detective.

I don’t know about you, but I’m in for that.

And it’s a move that makes a ton of sense, too. Noir-driven crime thrillers are generally pretty inexpensive to make because they’re not reliant on spectacle, and- at a time when Walter Hamada was brought in to rein in the studio, which has developed a reputation for badly bloated budgets that interfere with profit margins- you can see why they’d like Reeves’ idea. Back in 1995, Se7en cost only $30M to make. Zodiac, with its all star cast, only cost $65M in 2007. So aside from being a stroke of creative genius, it’s also a savvy business decision to change genre gears for our beloved Caped Crusader.

 

[OutOfBoose]

I don't know if I should believe that guy about "he delivered just that". I'll believe it when I see it. But I've been saying this for years: I want a scaled down Batman story. Not in terms of narrative ambition, but in terms of set pieces. We saw all that. Mega-plans with rocket launching penguins. Attempts to nuke, poison, freeze, mind-control the entire city. Alien invasion... And it was fun to various degree. It's time to expand in a different direction.

It doesn't mean that the film should be devoid of any action. I believe something along the lines of Mask of the Phantasm would be enough.

 

[Spider-Fan]

So Matt Reeves may be making a Batman movie that actually has Batman being a detective? No less, he is making it a detective thriller like Seven? This honestly sounds like the Batman film I always wanted to see. You give me that movie and I don't honestly care if it is DCEU or not, LOL!

 

[Boom]

John Campea is, quite frankly, pissing me off when it comes to this movie because he is stoking the flames of fear with zero quantifiable evidence. "Oh the movie keeps getting delayed. There are clearly production issues going on behind the scenes. I doubt this movie ever happens. Blah blah blah."

Let's get a few things straight.

1) Even when Affleck was on-board, this movie was never officially dated. Ever. It had never gotten past the development stage. We can argue until we are blue in the face about how the movie was "planned" to come out this year, or that the studio "was aiming" for the movie to come out that year, but nothing was ever set in stone. Period. Since this project's inception, there has always been fluidity to its release.
2) Say whatever you will about the movies themselves, but we just had Batman on screen not too long ago. This time last year, you could still catch Justice League in theaters - which starred him in a major capacity. And the year prior to that we had another major appearance in BvS and a cameo in SS. It's not as if we are starved for this character. So what's the rush?
3) Removing the DCU films from the equation for a second, the last time the character had a solo outing was in the acclaimed Nolan trilogy. Big shoes to fill. Couple that with the recent failed outings in the DCU, it absolutely necessitates getting this movie right - even it it takes more time to do it.
4) The recent successes of Aquaman, Wonder Woman, and (yes) even Suicide Squad show that there is a healthy market for DC films outside of Batman. He doesn't have to be their go-to property anymore. So taking into account the fact that we just saw Batman on screen not too long ago, as well as the fact that WB is finding success in other DC properties not named Batman or Superman, what exactly is this rush to get Batman back out there right now?
5) For whatever reason, fans have come to sort of expect to get updates on damn near every aspect of a film's production nowadays. What is the time table for writing the script? When is the script due? How long will it take the studio to read it? What notes did they give? Okay well how long is the second draft going to take? When are we getting production start dates? It's almost become a sense of entitlement. And if we don't get this information, oh well that can only mean the movie is in trouble. Uh, no. It just means they are developing the movie, and they aren't announcing anything until they have all the necessary pieces in place. But that's the culture now. Regardless of what's going on behind the scenes, if we aren't getting frequent updates on the status of the script, or pre-production, or the anticipated production date, it can only mean bad things. Thus you have clickbait artists like John Campea whipping people into a frenzy and freaking them out for no reason whatsoever. Because fans are such easy marks now. They're easier than ever.

I get that we all want this movie out tomorrow, but the simple point of fact is that there is no need or reason to rush this thing out.

 

[Poppy]

You're making great points Boom, people need to be patient. I guess we are so spoiled when it comes to CBM that now, waiting for a movie has become a chore for some people. I thought the JL mess would make people learn to be patient.

Why tho, would you watch or listen Campea? This guy is biased, and last time I checked, had videos based on his opinions instead of facts.

 

[OutOfBoose]

Stopped paying attention to what Campea has to say for couple of years now. It's either some wild assumption or downright clickbait.

 

[Spider-Fan]

You're making great points Boom, people need to be patient. I guess we are so spoiled when it comes to CBM that now, waiting for a movie has become a chore for some people. I thought the JL mess would make people learn to be patient.

Why tho, would you watch or listen Campea? This guy is biased, and last time I checked, had videos based on his opinions instead of facts.

Welcome to the internet, LOL! That's all it is. Personally, I watch Campea from time to time. I disagree with him on a lot of stuff, but he does at least bring up news about movies I may not have otherwise seen for myself since he basically discusses all kinds of movies. I find him informative on that front. But his editorials or responses are just his opinion and I don't value his opinion as some great end all be all (but I don't treat anyone's opinion that way).

 

[Loden Greatstorm]

Stopped paying attention to what Campea has to say for couple of years now. It's either some wild assumption or downright clickbait.

Agreed, he is the definition of an attention w***e.

 

[thebatfan5194]

I stopped watching Campea, Collider, and all of those type of shows over the last year or so.

Their commentary has just become insufferable.

 

[thebatfan5194]

On the note of Batman being inspired by Se7en/other Thrillers of that nature. Sign me the **** up.

 

[ArmsHeldOut]

Campea's been over for a very long now.

 

[Mandon Knight]

I've never liked him personally, he's rude, obnoxious, unable to listen to people, talks over guests and his panel even when he's asked them for a view or opinion, he's just horrible.