With his dark suit, dour attitude, and grim origin story, it’s easy to paint the Caped Crusader as a rather grim figure. Yet (and don’t worry, there are no spoilers in this piece) Matt Reeves’ upcoming action movie The Batman puts a new spin on Gotham’s most famous vigilante portraying him as a figure of hope, not despair.
It’s an interesting take on Batman and one we’ve not really seen on the big screen before. But The Batman producer Dylan Clark told us this was always Reeve’s plan for Bruce Wayne (Robert Pattinson).
Reeves apparently wanted to explore a more optimistic and hopeful side of the character by taking Batman on what’s basically a traumatic adventure of self-discovery. “Matt’s intention was to take Batman on this journey that shook him to his core,” Clark explained. So that the audience could see this great arc where he goes from a vengeance-driven vigilante to something more. Batman has to represent more to the world. He has to represent justice and hope.”
Clark believes that by seeing Bruce go on this emotional journey and feeling “pain and darkness,” it enables him to arrive at a more optimistic place by the end of the film. Clark finished by saying the birth of a hero is something that, to him at least, feels optimistic.
You’ll have to see Reeves’ tense thriller movie for yourself to make up your mind on whether you agree with Clark (and me) that the film is fundamentally hopeful, but it’s interesting to learn that was the filmmaker’s intent.
The Batman hits theatres on March 4.