The Batman story has seen myriad adaptations for the screen, each one boasting its own tone and style: some are gritty and dark, like the Nolan trilogy, whereas the classicAdam Westiteration is best known for its gaudy, colorful campiness. (Clooney, and arguablyMichael Keaton, fell somewhere comfortably between the two.) And unlike Peacemaker, Batman has a broader coiterie of super villains to face, from The Joker and Bane through to lesser known foes like Clayface and Man-Bat. The latter are on the campier, more fantastical side of things.
DirectorMatt Reevesrecently spoke at a press event that Collider was a part of, and explained how he was drawn towards a more “grounded” interpretation of the comics. But that isn’t to say the more fantastical villains couldn’t get involved, with one particularly cold character seemingly a favorite of his. He said:
“In my view, I just feel drawn to finding the grounded version of everything. So to me it would be a challenge in an interesting way to try and figure out how that could happen, even the idea of something like Mr. Freeze, that such a great story, right? I think there’s actually a grounded version of that story, which could be really powerful and could be really great. So, I love the fantastical side of Batman, but this iteration, obviously, while being, to me, I think it is very comics faithful, but I don’t think that this one is necessarily, it doesn’t lean as hard into the fantastical, I guess. But I think to me what would be interesting would be to try and unwind the fantastical and see, well, how could that make sense here? And so that’s kind of my view, how I see it.”
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So that doesn’t nix the idea of the more ridiculous villains making an appearance — but don’t expect anything likeArnold Schwarzenegger’s camped-up interpretation of the Crown Prince of Chilblains.
Two theatrical sequels forThe Batmanare planned, and two streaming series are currently in the works at HBO Max. One is a procedural set at Gotham City Police Department, and the other is a crime story focusing onColin Farrell’s Penguin. The film also starsZoë Kravitzas Catwoman,John Turturroas Carmine Falcone,Jeffrey Wrightas police commissioner James Gordon,Andy Serkisas Alfred Pennyworth, andPaul Danoas The Riddler.
