In anticipation of its long-awaited launch on July 14th, Matt Reeves is currently in the midst of doing press for Fox threequel War For the Planet of the Apes.
But there’s another little project looming on the horizon, far beyond the ravaged battlefield between Caesar (Andy Serkis) and Woody Harrelson’s Colonel. Its name? The Batman, Warner Bros. and DC’s long-rumored standalone pic that will see Ben Affleck don the cape and cowl once more, despite rumors to the contrary.
After a brief spell of deliberation between both parties – word is that Reeves wanted to exercise full creative control over Warner’s spinoff – the War For the Planet filmmaker assumed the director’s chair left vacant by Ben Affleck. Rumors have been coming in thick and fast, with the latest round suggesting that Reeves and his team are looking to Rocksteady’s beloved Arkham series as inspiration, while there’s also mention of a “noir-driven” take on the World’s Greatest Detective.
Whatever the case, during his recent interview with Variety (via Screen Rant), Matt Reeves touched base on his career thus far – a career that has sparked into life with Cloverfield – and the eventual shift to working under a studio.
I certainly hope so. Let’s put it this way. I’ve never worked with them but my experience with them so far has been really good. As I describe what I want to do, they seem really excited. So its the beginning of a journey. When I came in to do Apes, I had no idea, I had never made a studio film like that before. Even Cloverfield, though it came out through Paramount, was not really a studio film. Bad Robot had final cut so it was like making an indie, and so they were just really supportive and released the movie so it wasn’t really a studio film.
As for the transition over to Warner Bros. and its fledgling DC Extended Universe, Reeves then pinpointed the differences, before stressing that he’s looking forward to a “positive” working relationship with the studio.
These two movies, I’ve been able to make exactly the movie I wanted to make. Whatever flaws are in there are in some way we weren’t able to achieve something, I wasn’t able to pull something off, we didn’t have enough time, or whatever it is. It is also not something where I look back and go, ‘That damn studio compromise.’ So I think there’s a way in which you can work with a studio. I’ve never worked with any studio other than Fox, so its going to be an exploration for me. I’m excited to say that thus far they seem really excited about it and I suppose if we should ever come to an impasse then we’d have to resolve it one way or another. I’m very hopeful and positive about it.
Still nothing to report when it comes to a production timeline for The Batman – ditto for its fabled release date – but rest assured, Matt Reeves is beginning to make headway on the Caped Crusader’s next solo outing, and that fact alone is exciting in and of itself. Besides, those pining for Gotham’s Dark Knight can always look forward to the release of Justice League on November 17th, and there’s even talk of an all-new trailer dropping at San Diego Comic-Con next month.