Batman is one of the wealthiest, most brilliant, and capable minds in the world; a skilled fighter, a master of disguise, and a genius on par with Lex Luthor. This aspect of his character, which has generally been neglected in the movies, will play a significant role in The Batman, according to a new report that shares some of the first official details about the Matt Reeves-directed film. Set to shoot in early 2020, The Batman has been in development hell since Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was in production; originally, the idea was for Ben Affleck to star and direct, but ever since he handed the movie over to Reeves, it has been clear that fans were in for a very different movie.
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While “Batfleck” has earned praise from fans for looking the part and having some terrific action scenes, some fans complained that even in a movie that dealt with almost every element of his backstory, the “genius detective” part kind of got lost in the weeds, focusing more heavily on the superhero elements and the brooding, tortured psychology. It seems that is part of what interests Reeves and Pattinson, though, and rather than focusing on how he turned his body into a weapon, a la the early days depicted in Batman Begins, The Batman will tackle the mental side of Bruce’s development and what he was able to do with those skills.
Per The Hollywood Reporter, “this new Batman needed to conform to a defined age bracket. He is written as around 30 years old, and the story is neither another re-hashing of his origin nor the tale of a seasoned crimefighter ruling Gotham City. He is Bruce Wayne still trying to find his footing on his way to becoming the genius detective.”
That will help differentiate the Reeves/Pattinson movie, conceived as the first part of a potential trilogy from the Planet of the Apes filmmaker, from other takes on Batman. In the comics, his detective skills often come into play — Batman first appeared in a series called Detective Comics, after all — but in the movies, he is often treated more like writers in the comics sometimes treat Superman: like a meathead whose physical prowess makes him think first of punching every problem.
Shazam is now in theaters, Joker hits theaters on October 4th, Birds of Preyon February 7, 2020, Wonder Woman 1984 on June 5, 2020, and The Batman on June 25, 2021.
