Earlier this week was the 10-year anniversary of Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight, the second of the critically-acclaimed Dark Knight trilogy. It is perhaps the greatest superhero movie ever (it is), and an excellent film in general, with a remarkable story, a great Batman, arguably the best comic movie villain ever in Heath Ledger’s Joker, great casting and performances, and the perfect music score from Hans Zimmer.
That trilogy made Batman the crown jewel of Warner Bros., and they are looking to replicate that success, but with director Matt Reeves, who is best known for his work on the first Cloverfield movie and the second and third installments of the new Apes franchise.
Anticipation for this movie is high because:
- Batman is the crown jewel of not just WB but perhaps of superheroes in general, right next to Superman, because of his iconography
- Matt Reeves is an outstanding director who understands the character of Batman, being a real fan and reading the source material
The biggest question has been who will don the Dark Knight’s cape and cowl. Since last year, the speculation and reports have been see-sawing between current Batman actor Ben Affleck stepping down and then wanting to stay on. Then there are also the reports of Matt Reeves wanting a younger Bruce Wayne.
It seems like every week there is a new report out and it’s tough to tell which ones to believe. And in recent months, rumors about the potential villain for the movie have heated up:
Take this with a grain of salt as things are constantly changing in the DCEU but I'm hearing the Penguin is possibly the choice to play the main villain in THE BATMAN. Sources add even if Reeves decide to go another route the studio could then make him the main villain in BOP
— Justin Kroll (@krolljvar) May 30, 2018
Last month, some of Andy Serkis’ comments led people to believe and dream that maybe Matt Reeves would peg Serkis as the Penguin, due to their relationship from the Apes movies (Serkis played Caesar, the main character). But again, there is no foundation in that belief yet, so it’s all just speculation.
All we could and should focus on is what we do know. We’ve had seven Batman standalone movies, and then the character appeared in Batman vs. Superman and Justice League in there as well. We have almost gotten a little bit of everything out of these. But even then, some of the stuff could have been done better, or we still lacked some things that are important to the Batman mythology that needs to be seen on the big screen.
Here are some things that we’d love (or at least I would) to see in Matt Reeves upcoming Batman standalone film.
Newer Villains or Different Interpretations
Hush
Not well-known to many non-readers, but Hush has proven to be one of Bruce Wayne’s biggest adversaries. One who can match him both physically and mentally. The Hush storyline is one of the best ones in Batman’s mythology.
Deathstroke
Technically, Slade Wilson is not a Batman villain. He is the main adversary to the Teen Titans, led by Batman’s protege Dick Grayson. But Joe Manganiello was cast as Deathstroke with the belief that he would go head-to-head with the Dark Knight.
Even though he isn’t part of the rogues’ gallery, he is essentially Batman, but in villain form. A master tactician and fighter, who has the rare claim to outsmart and beat Bruce Wayne in a battle of both tactics and brawn. They have met up in the Arkham games but seeing them on the big screen go head-t0-head would be simply amazing. Just check out this clip below, courtesy of Cablelinenetwork:
Black Mask
Like Hush, Black Mask, or Roman Sionis, is another part of what makes the Bat’s rogues’ gallery arguably the best. He is not as big as The Joker, Tw0-Face, Killer Croc, Bane, Scarecrow, or Ra’s Al Ghul, but Sionis is a compelling villain.
He is one of the most powerful men in Gotham City, skilled with firearms and other weapons while being proficient in hand-to-hand combat. On top of that, he is smart and truly sadistic. If you want a mob-like movie, this the villain to have. He’s no big-time, but if you get the character right, he will be.
Penguin
We’ve seen him once, but that was in the 1990’s but having Penguin would bring us back to more of the mob roots of Gotham City. And who doesn’t want to see Andy Serkis in this character?
More Detective-based and showing off science knowledge
Batman has been dubbed “the world’s greatest detective,” but we haven’t necessarily been given that in the recent films. We’ve been given snippets of it with Christian Bale and Ben Affleck, but not to the full extent we see in the comics, animated movies, TV shows, or even video games for that matter.
This is one of the most significant aspects of the character, but it has not been given its due justice. Luckily, Matt Reeves may finally hit on it. During an interview with New Trailer Buzz he said:
“I want to do a very point-of-view-driven [film],” he said. “In all the films what I try to do, in almost a Hitchcockian sense, is use the camera and use the storytelling so that you become the character and you empathize with that point of view. And I think there is a chance to do an almost noir-driven detective version of Batman that is point-of-view driven in a very, very powerful way. And hopefull,y it is going to connect you to what’s going on inside of his head and inside of his heart.”
And while he is known as a detective, people forget that he is an excellent scientist as well, which aids his detective skills. Even Barry Allen, a forensic scientist (and the Flash) has raved about Bruce Wayne’s science knowledge and how they can speak long into the night about it.
And we did not spend much time at all in the Bat Cave during the recent movies (at least in problem-solving with Batfleck). It would be great to see a Batman movie that focuses mainly on these skills, instead of high-flying CGI effects.
Bat Family
The Batman Fam is probably the most well-known extended family of any comic character. We all know Robin (Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Tim Drake, Damian Wayne), Alfred, and Batgirl (Barbara Gordon), etc. They are very popular, and to some, more loveable than the Caped Crusader himself. Batman & Robin introduced Grayson and Gordon, but the movie as a whole was not great, hurting the interpretation of the characters.
But beyond them, the other characters in the family are intriguing, with great stories, and likable that have to be touched on. Jason Todd, the second Robin who eventually become the Red Hood has been a character that fans have been clamoring for. We have yet to see a Tim Drake Robin or Red Robin in anything but The Adventures of Batman & Robin.
Beyond them, characters like Cassandra Cain (the deadly assassin Orphan), Stephanie Brown (Spoiler), or Harper Row (Bluebird) would be fun characters with awesome backstories to check out.
Younger Batman
Ben Affleck gave us a grizzled and dark veteran Batman, while Christian Bale gave us young and older. But Christian Bale’s younger Batman did not give us the action scenes of an older Ben Affleck or touch on all the villains.
Affleck’s interpretation and dialogue gave light to an eventful 20 years that happened before the events of BvS. Reeves does not have to stay in that universe and do a prequel, but we want to see a younger, more athletic Bruce Wayne, and his previous interactions with his villains and his journey to becoming the Batman we all know.
Plus, casting a younger actor would allow for more movies without getting too old. It does not have to be a fresh-faced Bruce Wayne, but someone who’s been a few years in with a developed Gotham City story but with much to be exposed to.
Featured Image via Flickr/giri_trisanto1
