Even after almost a decade since their conclusion, the Dark Knight trilogy is still considered the pinnacle of DC cinema for many fans. But Matt Reeves and his team are planning to challenge that with The Batman, the incoming reboot of the Caped Crusader, which stars Robert Pattinson in the title role. And they’re not afraid of the competition. Dylan Clark admitted that he even told Christopher Nolan they’re coming for his crown.
While speaking to Empire in the film mag’s big The Batman special issue, Clark revealed that he told The Dark Knight director that he and his team were actively trying to make a film better than anything Nolan did with the pointy-eared hero.
“I’ve said this to Chris Nolan directly: ‘Look, we’re trying to be the best Batman ever made, and we’re going to try to beat you,’” he said.
As for why Clark’s so confident that they’ve got a shot at pulling off this impressive feat, Clark went on to promise that writer/director Reeves focused on interrogating the character of Bruce Wayne more than we’ve ever seen on screen before.
“Matt is interested in pushing this character to his emotional depths and shaking him to his core,” Clark added.
But while Nolan’s films are in The Batman team’s sights, Reeves has no interest in simply repeating what Nolan did so well in his efforts. The Planet of the Apes director explained to Empire that we’re not going to get another Batman Begins arc this time around as this new movie can be labelled a “Year Two” story and will explore a Bruce who is learning how to be Batman on the job.
“We’ve seen a lot of great stories about Bruce Wayne witnessing his parents’ murder and then trying to find a way to cope with that by perfecting himself into Batman,” explained Reeves. “But I wanted to do a story where he’s already been through the origins and does not yet really know exactly how to be Batman. It is a Year Two story. And I wanted you to connect to him. Not only as Bruce, but as Batman.”
In the same issue, Zoe Kravitz revealed that she watched footage of cats and lions as part of her preparation for playing Selina Kyle, aka Catwoman. Remember, Pattinson’s Bats will also be facing off against Colin Farrell’s Penguin and Paul Dano’s Riddler in the film. In addition, Jeffrey Wright is portraying Commissioner Gordon, while Reeves’ frequent collaborator Andy Serkis is Alfred Pennyworth.
After multiple delays, The Batman finally swoops into cinemas on March 4, 2022.