Since Warner Bros. announced back in February that Matt Reeves would be the director stepping in to replace Ben Affleck in helming DC’s still untitled Batman movie, fans have been craving any bit of news about the direction in which he plans to take the Caped Crusader. However, as Reeves was still finishing up War for the Planet of the Apes, which opens in theaters next week, news has been pretty dry. Luckily, now that the director is doing publicity for that film, we’ve at long last been getting some information about the Dark Knight’s upcoming feature.
The latest details come via an interview that Reeves did with Fandango, in which the director confirms that he not only has an idea for one Batman film, but an entire trilogy!
When asked about whether or not he viewed Affleck’s upcoming solo Batman movie as the start of a new trilogy, Matt Reeves replied:
“I have ideas about an arc, but really, the important thing is just to start… you have to start with one. You know, you have to start with a story that begins something. And I would be lying if I could tell you that the arcs of Apes was already planned out, because it simply wasn’t; it’s one of those things where that character was so potent, and the possibility was embedded from the beginning, but exactly how you’ve got from A to Z is not something that existed.”
While fans will be delighted to hear that he has ideas for an overarching story that could span multiple films, it’s comforting to know that Reeves understands the importance of nailing down a solid first movie before getting too far ahead of himself. Indeed, he goes on to say:
“In fact, when I came in on Dawn, the story that I wanted to tell was different from the story that they had even presented me. And so, there are these broad ideas, I think, that sort of came to mind as Rise was created, of how that story could be told, but they weren’t explicitly laid-out. And when Mark and I began Dawn, we knew what our goals were, but we didn’t know how we were gonna get there, and I would say that that more relates to the way that I see a Batman story, is a kind of ambition for a series of stories, but really the most important thing is gonna be to tell a vital first story.”
With Matt Reeves finally having finished War for the Planet of the Apes, he’s finally free to dive headfirst into Ben Affleck’s solo outing as the Batman, and we can expect to hear story details and which characters are likely to be included over the coming weeks. In fact, with San Diego Comic Con just over two weeks away, we might get more information on the movie sooner rather than later, especially as Warner Bros. and DC are sure to have a huge presence in Hall H.
In the meantime, you can get your Matt Reeves fix when War for the Planet of the Apes opens in theaters on July 14th.
Are you excited about the possibility of a Matt Reeves Batman trilogy? What villains would you like to see him tackle over the course of the three movies? Are there specific stories you’d like to see him adapt over the course of the three movies? Let me know in the comments below!
