Matt Reeves Talks About His "Noir Batman." Update - Ben Affleck is out

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Who Will Be the Villains of 'The Batman'?

As for which villains we’ll see, that remains to be seen. But that Batman ‘66 photo Reeves posted last year is as strong a place to start as any. Josh Gad has been angling for the role of the Penguin for some time, and he’s friends with Reeves. The Riddler, who surprisingly didn’t get in on the action in Christopher Nolan’s run, is practically begging for a modern interpretation. And with Birds of Prey rumored to lead to a trilogy comprised of Gotham City Sirens and Birds vs. Sirens features, Catwoman certainly won’t be kept off screen for long. The Joker is never far away, but given how prolific he’s become over the years and with Todd Phillips’ Joker starring Joaquin Phoenix coming to theaters later this year perhaps the clown is best kept in the shadows for now. It would be nice to see Reeves step away from the grounded approach to Batman’s villains and utilize a few of his more fantastical and sci-fi based adversaries like Clayface, Mr. Freeze, Man-Bat, and Professor Pyg. As for the one pulling Batman’s strings? Hugo Strange is fan favorite choice on social media, as the recently introduced Court of Owls.

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So, Batman. Tell us about your take.

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.

Have you begun the casting process?

There will be a Rogues Gallery. The casting process will begin shortly. We're starting to put together our battle plan. I'm doing another pass on the script and we'll begin some long-lead stuff to start developing conceptual things.

What's your goal as far as a release date?

We haven't been dated. I wouldn't commit to this, but we're thinking the movie would probably be for 2021, late spring or summer. Warner Bros. has been incredibly supportive and given me a lot of time and shared the same passion that I do for this story.

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EXCLUSIVE: Warner Bros. is dating their next rendition of Batman for June  25, 2021. This is the one that Matt Reeves has been attached to as writer and director. Ben Affleck, we hear, will not be donning the Dark Knight’s tights after playing the Caped Crusader in Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, Suicide Squad and Justice League and that’s because this movie will focus on a younger Bruce Wayne.

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