AfterThe Dark Knighttrilogy, recent attempts to revive the character have fallen flat, failing to reach the pinnacle of Christopher Nolan’s creation.The Batmanproducer Dylan Clark understands the height of the mountain they must climb but feels that Matt Reeves' take on the character will be just as great or even better.
Clark is a part of the contingent helping to bring Reeves' vision of the character to life withinThe Batman. Reeves gave audiences a glimpse into the new world through the film’s promotional rollout, accumulating an incredible amount of excitement for its release. The film’s synopsis indicates a darker, more sinister take on the character, whose primary objective is to bring justice to a city riddled with a contagion of corruption. Unfortunately, Nolan has created a bit of greed within audiences, whose vision of the character seems to emulate his own. The gloomy atmospheric world teased by Reeves appears to be heading down a similar path, especially with its villains carrying abhorrent characteristics.
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While speaking to Empire, Clark made a note of the friendly competition at play, stating, “I’ve said this to Chris Nolan directly: ‘Look, we’re trying to be the bestBatmanever made, and we’re going to try to beat you.'” Clark’s confidence stems from Reeves’ hopes to explore an element of Bruce Wayne that audiences have yet to experience.Nolan offered a realistic rendition of Batmanthat felt grounded within a reality that audiences could relate to on a universal level. One of the biggest knocks against the superhero genre is the lack of humanity embedded within its protagonists, which Reeves hopes to alleviate with a deeper dive. “Matt is interested in pushing this character to his emotional depths and shaking him to his core,” indicated Clark, whose optimism remains relatively high.
Clark’s words are ambitious, seeing as how Nolan’s threeBatmanprojects became outstanding successes within the genre. However, while comparisons are there, the reality is that the twoversions of Batmanstart in completely different places. Nolan provided audiences with an origin story that began with the notable death of Bruce’s parents, which eventually fueled his desire to don the mask and rid Gotham of criminal activity. Reeves, however, will be placing the audience in a different realm of Bruce’s life, which begins well after the death of his parents. “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,” stated the director, whose psychological approach will attempt to dissect the man behind the mask, establishing a stronger connection with audiences and the hero vigilante.
Could Matt Reeves do what some consider impossible andsurmountThe Dark KnightTrilogy? Time will eventually reveal an answer to that central question, but the most significant chess piece would undoubtedly be the villains. Christian Bale was excellent in his portrayal of Bruce Wayne, but the spellbinding antagonists made those films captivating. Tom Hardy was a presence as Bane inThe Dark Knight Rises, but Heath Ledger changed the narrative with his iconic rendition of the Joker. His performance left audiences in awe and led to a posthumous Best Supporting Actor win at the 2009 Academy Awards.
It will be intriguing to see how Reeves unwraps Bruce Wayne before an audience and introduces familiar villains.Robert Pattinson will don the maskwithin Reeves' darker and more internalized take on the character, and he has drawn excitement from the footage audiences have witnessed. Paul Dano, however, is the chess piece whose performance will dictate whether Reeves and Clark will be able to move into position for checkmate.
