The first official footage from The Batman debuted tonight thanks to director Matt Reeves and DC ‘s FanDome digital event, and it looks to be putting the “dark” in Dark Knight. Comparisons between this new version of the character and David Fincher’s dark serial killer drama Se7en quickly sprung up online, and this has got fans wondering about the rating for the film. Though no theatrically released live-action Batman movie from Warner Bros. has been given an “R” Rating by the MPA, the footage seen in this trailer has lead many to believe that The Batman could be the first of its kind.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Matt Reeves nor the studio have even commented on the prospects of The Batman’s ratings thus far, nor was it mentioned at tonight’s panel. This adults only rating probably wouldn’t be the deathblow to its box office prospects that Warner Bros. might assume, especially after last year’s Joker went on to gross over a billion worldwide, but for now it’s unclear what the rating will be when the film is finally released.
To his credit, Reeves opened up about the films that influenced him in making the movie, and the three films he name dropped specifically are R rated movies.
“Well, because the movie is a detective story because it is a thriller in the sort of cop world and because it’s about corruption, we’re treating this Batman story as if this could have happened,” Reeves said during The Batman panel at FanDome. “The idea is that Batman doesn’t have the ability to have superhero powers he just has superhero focus and superhero drive. Chinatown was a key one because Jake Gittes, in investigating that sort of series of crimes that were part of that story, he discovered the depths of corruption in Los Angeles and so in that way it’s like a classic Noir. This series of murders that Batman is investigating are very much in that mode so Chinatown was a really big one.”
He continued, “The idea of that kind of gritty flawed, the humanity of it that was very much inspired by those kinds of movies by like French Connection and other sort of cop movies like that, I would say even a movie like Taxi Driver the description of the place and very much getting inside of somebody’s head and I guess a lot of really sort of 70s Street grounded stories.”
Check back here for further details on The Batman‘s rating as we learn it, for now the film is scheduled to arrive in theaters next fall.
Looks and feels like a genuine Batman horror thriller
I can definitely see this Batman film being rated R. pic.twitter.com/o37965NZTo
โ Walt (@UberKryptonian) August 22, 2020
please???
Rated R Batman please??? https://t.co/cxNe4wetke
โ It’s Blagden! (@J_Blagden) August 23, 2020
Iโm gonna freak tf out
Bro if The Batman ends up being rated R Iโm gonna freak tf out
โ The Magnum Zombie (@MysticFook) August 23, 2020
Pretty sure
Pretty sure based on that last clip Pattinsons Batman will be rated R.
โ rager. (@louiethekingjr) August 23, 2020
I pray that itโs rated R
The Batman looks legit, I pray that itโs rated R tho ๐ค๐พ
โ no cards๐ซ (@cashonllyy) August 23, 2020
Sorry to the kids
Sorry to the kids but The Batman better be Rated R ๐ญ
โ Corina โจ (@corina_myers) August 23, 2020
that would make it even better
The Matt reeves batman trailer looks so fucking good I canโt wait to watch it next year I hope itโs rated r that would make it even better pic.twitter.com/4ZFFjUjQQC
โ Yohei #DcFanDome (@GhostYohei) August 23, 2020
SO HYPE
THIS BATMAN MOVIE BETTER BE RATED R OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO IM SO HYPE FOR DARK EDGY RPATTS BATMAN
โ Clark Kent (@Claire_Kaede) August 23, 2020
Please make this Rated R
Year 2 Batman, yes no more origin stories. Please make this Rated R. https://t.co/I8qNf8kqsE
โ CROD (@CROD_27) August 23, 2020
thereโs no way it wonโt
The Batman will be rated R, thereโs no way it wonโt what we saw from that teaser. @mattreevesLA @wbpictures
โ Naughty__Tae (@TaeNaughty) August 23, 2020