New Batman will be Hitchcock-style noir detective movie
Director Matt Reeves has revealed that the new Batman film will be a dark detective story inspired by Alfred Hitchcock and Christopher Nolan.
In the DC Extended Universe’s upcoming The Batman, Matt Reeves wants to explore the detective aspect of Batman’s character. He cites the mystery thrillers of Alfred Hitchcock as inspiration.
“I think there’s a chance to do an almost noir-driven, detective version of Batman that is point-of-view driven,” Reeves told New Trailer Buzz. He described this approach to storytelling as “Hitchcockian.” The auteur director behind Psycho and Rear Window, Alfred Hitchcock used subjectivity to immerse his audiences in mysterious and terrifying circumstances.
Reeves also praised Christopher Nolan’s ability to “take the genre seriously” in spite of Hollywood’s impositions. “What studios are willing to make at the moment is a very, very narrow band of films,” Reeves explained. “What I discovered is that this genre has the potential to be about something more.”
“The World’s Greatest Detective”
Batman was originally created as “The World’s Greatest Detective,” but recent adaptations have ignored this side of DC’s Dark Knight.
Batman’s time on the silver screen has been dedicated to action and brutality, not Bruce Wayne’s remarkable intelligence. If Matt Reeves stays true to his creative vision, then The Batman might feel more like Vertigo than a DC movie. Which is good news for a franchise that has been lacking brains lately.
Fans still haven’t forgiven DC for the terrible Batman vs. Superman (seriously, machine guns?). While Wonder Woman has pacified us for now, the stakes for The Batman are high. Seeing Bruce Wayne as a brilliant super sleuth might save the character from the rut he’s fallen into in past decades.
Dark and gritty
On the flip side, this could go terribly wrong, too. With the exception of Wonder Woman, the DCEU’s films have been criticized for their overly-grim, pessimistic tone. The dark-and-gritty superhero movie has overstayed its welcome. People are finally beginning to remember that we love the superhero genre for its camp, humor, and tendency not to take itself too seriously.
Matt Reeves says he wants to make The Batman “very emotional.” Let’s hope this means we’ll get a Bruce Wayne who can do more than brood.
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The Batman will begin filming in 2018.