Robert Pattinson and Matt Reeves (courtesy: Robertpattinson)
Basic moments
- Robert will be considered “the world’s greatest detective” in his next
- Batman was directed by Matt Reeves
- Matt talked about Robert Pattinson in a recent interview.
New Delhi:
Superheroes usually represent hope and goodness, but not Batman’s latest celluloid avatar. The man is a “symbol of vengeance” and is struggling to become a better person, says The Batman director Matt Reeves.
Reeves’ upcoming film about the secret alias of Gotham City royalty Bruce Wayne will see a whole new take on DC’s troubled hero, crystallized in the minds of those who grew up with the Batman comics, the TV show and the many films based on him. What you get here is the lead star Robert Pattison as “the world’s greatest detective”.
“In this iteration, I made a conscious choice that he would be a symbol of revenge. I wanted him to be Batman for the first couple of years, who is still lost in the mystery of being Batman. on his shadow side, so he hasn’t reached the point where he could represent hope yet,” the PTI director said in an interview with Zoom from Los Angeles.
The film is set in the second year of Batman’s fight against crime. In the film, a man with superpowers uncovers corruption in Gotham while pursuing the Riddler (Paul Dano), a serial killer who targets the city’s elite.
This Batman It’s not just Gotham’s criminal element that’s scary, but the city’s residents as well, Reeves said.
“They are wondering who is this vigilante who is taking the law into his own hands, which, when you think about it, seems like a scary idea. The film takes you on a journey where you start to question if it’s enough and he wakes up to where he is. forced to change,” added Reeves, known for Let Me In and the Planet of the Apes franchise.
The director said he was inspired by Batman: Year One, written by Frank Miller and illustrated by David Mazzucchelli, which gave the film a “earthiness” like a Martin Scorsese film.
Reeves recalled that in the liner notes for the anniversary issue of the comic, Miller wrote to Mazzucchelli that in one scene, Bruce looked like he had just won a Travis Bickle impersonation contest, Robert De Niro’s character from Scorsese’s classic Taxi Driver.
For “Batman“, the director said he watched films from the 70s such as Klute and All the President’s Men by Alan J. Pakula, Chinatown by Roman Polanski, William Friedkin’s French Connections by William Friedkin with cinematographer Greg Fraser.
“The hardcore cop thrillers of the 70s, a kind of neo-noir, all texturally inform the film and, oddly enough, feel in sync with the comics. We shot the film with an anamorphic (lens) to give it a timeless look.” Created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, Batman turns 83 in March, but Reeves’ fascination with the character dates back to when he was “probably three.”
The 55-year-old said he met Batman not through comics but through a TV show starring Adam West as the superhero.
“I was born in 1966 and that was the year the TV series debuted and I was obsessed with Batman.” The bond between the two was so deep that Reeves once told his parents that he “saw” the superhero on the ceiling of his room when he had a high fever.
“I remember saying to my dad, ‘Batman is on the ceiling,’ and he was like, ‘Are you scared? I said, “No, it’s Batman!” I have a deep connection from early childhood. I love cinema, and of course I became a big fan of comics when I went deep into writing (the movie). I can’t even tell you how many comics I’ve read.” Describing Batman as a “unique character” with a great mythical quality that persists and has been translated into many different versions, the director said he’s thrilled the team gets the chance to make this Warner Bros. movie.
Reeves and Pattinson are the latest in a long line of Batman cinematic collaborations. Over the years, directors Tim Burton, Joel Schumacher, Zack Snyder and Christopher Nolan have envisioned their vision of the superhero, while actors such as Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer, George Clooney, Ben Affleck and Christian Bale have played the masked vigilante.
But this one promises to be different.
According to Reeves, this rendition is different in that it is not a superhero origin story.
According to him, The Batman gives the viewer an entry point into the corrupt city of Gotham, which has been taken over by not one but many antagonists – the Riddler (Dano), the Penguin (Colin Farrell), Carmine Falcone (John Turturro), and Selina Kyle/Catwoman. (Zoe Kravitz)
“I wanted to see a Batman (as a person) who struggles to be the best Batman. And I wanted him to do that by solving a crime that would sort of reveal the truth about this corrupt city of Gotham. To me, the idea of falling down all these alleyways would be almost like a Warner Bros. gangster movie. While that wasn’t his origin, you’ll see the origins of all the Rogues Gallery characters… “Aside from this movie, the Farrell’s Penguin spin-off series is also in the works with HBO Max, which is being produced by Reeves.
Asked if they were heading for the Batverse, he said, “That’s hope.” “My goal was to make a film that was a standalone experience. You don’t set yourself the task of filming the first chapter, because you never know if you can make the second chapter…
“Bringing all these characters to life led to the idea of creating this Penguin story… It’s very interesting to do it in a detailed way, to explore his character almost like in Scarface. I hope this is the start of the Batverse, but I won’t know until the audience sees it.” It took Reeves five years to direct The Batman, the longest he has ever worked on for any film.
“You can’t help but feel the pressure! It’s so personal. But all you can do is wait. It’s interesting, but scary.” The film will be released in Indian cinemas on March 4.