A recent lawsuit claiming Warner Bros plagiarized the 2022 blockbuster film ‘The Batman’ includes fascinating new insights from director Matt Reeves about how his vision for the movie differed greatly from a previous version that would have starred Ben Affleck.
The lawsuit, filed by writer Christopher Wozniak, alleged that ‘The Batman’ stole plot elements from his own 1990s story about a blind man taking revenge on the Dark Knight. However, federal judge Paul Engelmayer ruled that Wozniak had actually infringed on DC Comics’ copyright by intentionally lifting Batman characters and story elements without consent.
Included in the court documents was a declaration from ‘The Batman’ director Matt Reeves, who provided intriguing details about the development process for the film starring Robert Pattinson. Reeves reveals that Warner Bros first approached him in January 2017 about potentially directing a Batman movie starring Ben Affleck, who at the time was still attached to play the Caped Crusader.
“Warner Bros sent me a pre-existing screenplay written by a writer named Chris Terrio and the writer and director Ben Affleck,” Reeves stated. “Upon reading it, I determined that the story and resulting film was not a project that I felt I wanted to do.”
Instead, Reeves pitched Warner Bros his idea for an original, noir-influenced detective Batman story focused on the Caped Crusader uncovering unexpected personal revelations while investigating a case.
“I told [Warner Bros] an idea I had for an original Batman story that I conceived: a Batman detective story where solving the case led to discovering something unexpectedly personal for Batman,” Reeves declared. “Warner Bros liked the idea and hired me to make ‘The Batman.'”
This indicates Reeves was not interested in making the version of ‘The Batman’ centered around Deathstroke that Affleck and Terrio had been developing. Affleck was originally slated to both direct and star in that take.
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Ultimately, Reeves’ unique vision for a grittier, grounded detective noir Batman movie that focused more on the Caped Crusader’s investigative skills than high-tech gadgets won over Warner Bros executives.
“I did not use any material from the previous script written by Chris Terrio or any other material provided by Warner Bros other than the Batman characters and universe,” Reeves stated.
This revelation provides fascinating insight into how Reeves made ‘The Batman’ distinct from prior aborted attempts at launching a new Batman franchise. It also elucidates why Reeves’ iteration of the Dark Knight relies more on hand-to-hand combat and practical effects rather than an array of fancy Batmobiles and gadgets seen in previous Batman movies.
In addressing gadget usage in his movie, Reeves shed further light on the studio notes process, revealing how Warner Bros preferences shaped his creative decisions regarding Batman’s tools and weapons.
“I also received studio notes asking for more scenes with the Batmobile and more gadgets, but I chose not to do this because it did not fit the realistic vision I had for the film,” Reeves declared.
This indicates the final version of ‘The Batman’ we saw on screen was shaped in part by Reeves pushing back against some conventional studio suggestions in order to maintain his gritty, grounded vision. It’s intriguing to learn how Reeves charted such a radically different creative path for his take on the Batman mythos compared to prior stalled attempts to continue Affleck’s version of the Dark Knight.
What did you think of Reeve’s take on The Batman? Would Warner Bros’ vision of ‘Bat Affelck’ been a worthy movie? Let us know in the comments!
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