Critically-acclaimed Director Matt Reeves is reviving the original version of Gotham's Caped Crusader. In his upcoming project, "The Batman," which stars Ben Affleck, the director is bringing out the "noir" side of the superhero which the modern audience have yet to see.
In recent Batman movies, the Caped Crusader has been depicted as a grim and moody superhero with a penchant for brutality. At one point, in Zack Snyder's "Batman v Superman," he was even painted as a paranoid psychopath. These hyper-realistic versions of Batman are nothing like the original one which Tim Burton introduced back in 1989.
Burton introduced a superhero who was always weary of protecting his city, a ninja, a force of nature, and a competent detective. It seems that this is where Reeves has taken his inspiration from as he recently expressed in an interview with New Trailer Buzz that he envisions a more personal and "noir-driven" storyline for "The Batman."
"In all of my films, what I try to do ... is use the camera and use the storytelling so that you become the character, and you emphasize with that point of view," described Reeves. He then hinted at the chance of doing a "noir-driven detective version of Batman" that will create a powerful connection with the audience by opening what is going on "inside of his head and inside of his heart."
In the same interview, Reeves dropped a hint about the internal struggle which Batman is going to face. He used his most recent hero, Caesar (Andy Serkis) from "War of the Planet of the Apes", for comparison. "They're both tortured and trying to sort of grapple within themselves to try and do the right thing in a very imperfect ... corrupt world," the director explained, adding that he is interested in exploring that emotionality.
Fortunately for Reeves, Affleck shares the same vision. In a recent interview with the Collider, the actor said that he thinks all the greatest Batman movies are detective stories, that is why they have a noir feel. "Somehow feels like it could be 'The Maltese Falcon,'" the actor explained, citing the 1941 detective classic.
In the past several months, reports suggested that Affleck is going to bow out of "The Batman" and ditch the cape entirely. Sources claimed that lukewarm reviews and unhappy fans made the actor feel disappointed at DC Cinematic Universe. However, Reeves denied the speculations and confirmed last June 19 to Getty Images that Affleck is on board "The Batman," which still has no announced date of release.
