After the Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) merger, the studio underwent major restructuring, resulting in the departure of Walter Hamada, the former head of WB’s DC film division.
Related: DC Shoots Down Next Robert Pattinson ‘The Batman’ Installment
James Gunn, known for directing Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy films for Disney and 2021’s The Suicide Squad (separate from the 2016 film featuring Jared Leto’s Joker), has taken over Hamada’s position, sharing leadership with co-CEO Peter Safran.
Under Gunn’s direction, the newly established DC Studios will reboot the previous DC Extended Universe (DCEU) with a fresh start in the next phase of the DC Universe (DCU), titled “Chapter One – Gods and Monsters.” At the heart of this revamp is the upcoming film Superman (previously Superman: Legacy), which introduces David Corenswet as Clark Kent/Superman, replacing Henry Cavill. The movie, inspired by the DC Comics series of the same name, aims to reset the continuity established in Zack Snyder’s Justice League and Man of Steel, often referred to as the Snyderverse.
Following the reboot of Superman, the next iconic DC hero set for a fresh take is Batman/Bruce Wayne. This new iteration, currently titled The Brave and the Bold, will introduce the “Bat Family,” a group of superheroes and adopted wards, including various Robins, under Bruce Wayne’s mentorship.
This version will succeed Ben Affleck’s portrayal of Batman (or “Batfleck”) from Zack Snyder’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) and Justice League (2017) within the DCEU. It will also exist alongside Robert Pattinson’s Bruce Wayne in The Batman, now part of the “DC Elseworlds” label, which also includes Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker franchise.
Now, The Batman director Matt Reeves is coming forward to confirm the trajectory of the film series.
Related: ‘The Batman’ Cuts Half Its Sequel Cast, Rogues Gallery Deleted
Reeves Talks The Batman Plan
How long is The Batman planning to go on as a DC Elseworlds concept under DC Studios? Could a future with competing Batman franchises under both Gunn and Reeves spell a premature end for Pattinson’s Dark Knight?
In a recent interview with Collider, Reeves talks about the future of The Batman as a planned trilogy.
When asked if The Batman is still going to be a trilogy, as Reeves originally wanted, the director replies that that’s part of the “plan”:
That is still the plan in my mind, yes. That is still the plan.
The fan-favorite director is then asked how much he has actually “figured out” of that trajectory and how much he is “sticking towards that path.” Reeves adds that, in fact, the upcoming The Penguin series starring Colin Farrell in the titular role as Oz Cobb/the Penguin (originally Oswald Cobblepot in the DC Comics), is meant to be the direct continuation of The Batman — more or less The Batman 2:
I mean, it’s sticking very close to that path, but what I would say is that things kind of shifted depending on… so, like, when we came up with the idea to do Penguin, that was something where I had always intended to continue Penguin’s story and wanted to tell this kind of story of his beginning of rise to power, cause we know that he’s introduced in Batman as a… kind of mid-level sort of overlooked, mocked figure who’s not anywhere yet… in anyone’s eyes the Kingpin we come to know him as in the lore.
Reeves also shares that it’s this desire to detail the origins of both Batman and his infamous rogues gallery that has always been the driving force behind the series, and The Batman 2 was originally meant to be Penguin-centric:
And so, that was deliberate because I wanted… whereas it wasn’t Batman’s origin story, I wanted the origin stories of these other characters, of the rogues gallery, and that story was initially what was going to be the entree into the next movie.
He reveals that while in conversation with executives at DC and Warner Bros., Reeves was recommended to not “hoard” any The Batman stories for the “theatrical experience,” — thus giving rise to the next chapter in The Batman Epic Crime Saga (as Reeves himself calls it), The Penguin as a television show, instead of The Batman 2.
The whole interview can be viewed here:
Do you think that The Batman should end with the third film? Should Matt Reeves continue making projects in the franchise? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
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