With each new version of Batman on the big screen has come a new interpretation of that fateful night in Crime Alley, the one where Thomas and Martha Wayne were gunned down in front of their son, the moment that lead to the birth of the Batman. Ironically, for the movie actually called The Batman, this is a sequence that audiences won’t be seeing on IMAX screens. Prior to this film, Tim Burton’s Batman, Joel Schumacher’s Batman Forever, Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins, Zack Snyder’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and even Todd Phillips’ Joker all depicted the death of the Waynes and the origin of Batman, and reading a list like that is exactly why The Batman director Matt Reeves decided against it.
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Speaking in an extensive new interview with Esquire, Reeves confirmed that his movie won’t get into the origin, not even from a different angle than the other movies. “We’ve seen it so many times,” Reeves told the outlet. “It’s been done too much. I knew we couldn’t do that.” Previous reports about the movie’s content and development have revealed that it’s set two years into Bruce’s journey as the hero. One might think this would be the perfect chance to do the origin once again, but Reeves and company aren’t eager to show what’s been done before, like how Marvel Studios opted not to re-do the origin of Spider-Man when rebooting the webslinger.
“I’m very proud of it. I felt it was the best version of the story that we could possibly do to justify having another Batman,” Reeves said. “You always have to have a reason, and from the beginning that was the mission for me.”
The filmmaker was also asked by the outlet about sequels, and we already know that HBO Max spinoff shows are in the works, teasing: “It will obviously have a lot to do with how people receive this film, but a lot of things are in the works.” Considering these things that are in the works, might Reeves come around to doing the origin for his version of Batman? Kinda doubt it!
The Batman remains scheduled to be released in theaters on March 4, 2022 after multiple delays. Unlike recent DC movies like The Suicide Squad, Wonder Woman 1984, and Zack Snyder’s Justice League the film will be exclusively released in movie theaters without a simultaneous release on HBO Max. That said, we do know when The Batman will stream on the service, and the wait isn’t that long.
