The Batman Director Matt Reeves Addresses Justice League Cameos

By Adam Barnhardt

Matt Reeves took on The Batman for one reason in particular: Warner Brothers wasn't forcing him to make something that absolutely, positively had to be set in the DC Extended Universe. The Robert Pattinson vehicle will instead launch its own franchise far from the operation of the DCEU, so fans shouldn't really expect to see any surprise cameos from other WB-owned projects like The Suicide Squad, Peacemaker, or Wonder Woman.

"Ben [Affleck] had been working on a version of the script," Reeve said in a recent interview with Esquire, "and I said, 'Here's the thing: I respect that the DC Universe has become an extended universe and all the movies were kind of connected. But another Batman film, it shouldn't have to carry the weight of connecting the characters from all those other movies. I didn't want them in there."

Instead of a team-up spectacle, fans can expect to see a major noir-style flick. While Pattinson's Bruce Wayne isn't necessarily in his first year of vigilante work, the movie is largely inspired by the workings of Batman: Year One.

"I wanted to do a story in which the corruption of Gotham was one of the most important aspects of the story, because Gotham is a sick place. Bruce is desperate to try and make a change," Reeves said in a recent interview with MovieMaker magazine.

He added,  "He's still stuck, to be honest, emotionally stunted at being 10 years old, because that's a trauma you don't get past—witnessing your parents murder in this place. He's looking to create meaning, right? This is the only meaning he can find. … I think he imagines that if he can do this, somehow he can reverse what's happened, which will never be reversed. This is a very human impulse, right? To try and relive something and remake it."

The Batman will see Pattinson bringing about an entirely new take on the character, with a cast that also includes Colin Farrell as The Penguin, Paul Dano as The Riddler, Kravitz as Catwoman, John Turturro as Carmine Falcone, Peter Sarsgaard as Gil Colson, Jayme Lawson as Bella Real, Barry Keoghan as Officer Stanley Merkel, and Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth.

The Batman is currently set to be released on March 4th.

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