We are 2 years away from the next incarnation of Batman which means production news and casting announcements are gearing up. As reported yesterday, both Robert Pattinson and Nicholas Hoult are in the running to play the lead role of Bruce Wayne for director Matt Reeves.
Reeves is not exactly a household name yet like Steven Spielberg or Christopher Nolan but he has a long-standing history in film as well as television that might surprise the Batman community. Who is the director and why is he such a good fit to take on The Dark Knight?
Here’s everything to know about the filmmaker and why he will be a perfect director for the next version of Batman.
Who is Matt Reeves?
The history of Matt Reeves becoming a filmmaker reaches all the way back to his youth. According to a podcast called The Q&A with Jeff Goldsmith, Matt Reeves actually began making films at the age of 13 with JJ Abrams.
According to the interview, both Reeves and Abrams used to submit Super 8 films to a local public broadcast channel.
The buzz about their short films made their way to Steven Spielberg and not long after they got to showcase their projects to the famous director.
After they both went to college, Reeves scored his first small break writing a draft for Under Siege 2: Dark Territory, from which he was eventually fired due to a tense working relationship with Steven Seagal.
A short time later, he got his first big break as a director with a film called The Pallbearer which was released to mixed success.
Reeves and Abrams eventually broke their way into television with the show Felicity in the late nineties. That show ran for four seasons and gave Matt Reeves directing and writing experience during its run.
Once JJ Abrams firmly established himself as a producer and director he eventually launched the film label Bad Robot and tapped Matt Reeves to direct one of the first mystery box projects known as Cloverfield.
While many were not a fan of the shaky cam experience, the movie was a great success which allowed Reeves to pursue other projects.
His first follow-up after Cloverfield would be the remake of Let the Right One In retitled as Let Me In.
The film went on to receive a strong critical consensus of 88% from Rotten Tomatoes, describing it as, “Similar to the original in all the right ways — but with enough changes to stand on its own.”
Not long after, Reeves took over the mantle of the Planet of the Apes franchise from Rupert Wyatt and directed the second and third film in the series — Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and War for the Planet of the Apes.
Both were considered strong entries in the franchise with the third film being one of the most unconventional finales for any blockbuster.
Why is Matt Reeves a good director for The Batman?
At this point, Matt Reeves has more than proven himself as a tested director. He has a long history with writing and directing and usually does a stellar job at making satisfying big budget films.
With Batman, Reeves is already attempting to make the famous property entirely his own by bringing in the detective-noir elements.
This should excite fans because up until now, not one director has tried to explore the detective side of Batman in a satisfying way. Here is a quote from THR about this approach:
“It’s very much a point of view-driven, noir Batman tale. It’s told very squarely on his shoulders, and I hope it’s going to be a story that will be thrilling but also emotional. It’s more Batman in his detective mode than we’ve seen in the films. The comics have a history of that. He’s supposed to be the world’s greatest detective, and that’s not necessarily been a part of what the movies have been. I’d love this to be one where when we go on that journey of tracking down the criminals and trying to solve a crime, it’s going to allow his character to have an arc so that he can go through a transformation.”
Batman as a character has always been a man who goes after justice on his own, using sometimes dark and violent methods.
Reeve’s take should be an intriguing one because it will take the sometimes unending violence, and give fans something to sincerely dwell on — who Bruce Wayne is as a whole individual rather than an overwhelmed vigilante.
Reeves is the perfect fit to give a character that can sometimes seem one-dimensional even more depth and popularity.
The Batman will hit theaters on June 25, 2021.