As DC’s new reboot of the film franchise based on its famous caped crusader nears theatrical release, director Matt Reeves has said that he won’t instantly rush into the sequel. The Batman is releasing in two weeks and is already set to be followed by two planned sequels, as well as shape a new Batman franchise with two spin-offs greenlit by Warner Bros. for HBO Max. Despite that, Reeves says that he has no plans to start production on The Batman 2 anytime soon.
The new reboot starring Robert Pattinson will kickstart with a different approach, with the film being set in the second year of Bruce Wayne’s crime-fighting vigilantism and won’t touch his origin as previous films have. It will be first of a kind introductory film based on Batman, where the Dark Knight will be featured alongside several important figures from his comic-book lore. Though Zack Snyder’s Batman v. Superman wasn’t an origin story either for Batman, the film’s opening did cover that aspect of Ben’s Batman. Now, with Pattinson taking on the role, we will see him put against The Riddler, who has been on a killing rampage in Gotham. The film will also star Colin Farrell as Penguin and will also feature Zoë Kravitz as Selina Kyle/Catwoman in a leading role.
Matt Reeves wants to see how audiences perceive his Batman. The film’s storyline and the abundance of Batman comics’ characters in the film already speculate a number of potential storylines that can be adapted into the sequels, yet Reeves says that his film does not express the idea of being a starting chapter in a long franchise. Instead, he always wished The Batman to be a wholesome film.
Talking to Los Angeles Times En Español, Reeves said,
"I think the first thing is a very long nap and here's the thing, my feeling in doing the film was always that I would never treat it as chapter 1. Because chapter 1 assumes that there are more chapters. So what I wanted to do was to make this movie a satisfying experience so that people could experience a new fresh version of a character that the world has loved for over 80 years."
Reeves also added how he has a lot to tell in future films focusing on Pattinson’s Batman and that he has a lot of stories to blend for further installments. He has earlier shared his ideas on having a more grounded take on Mr. Freeze in The Batman 2. But first, he wants to analyze how the audience takes The Batman and its themes and subtexts before taking that leap.
"I think that if we succeed on that front, I know that I have a lot of stories I want to tell, and then we'll do chapter 2, but not because we didn't make this one a complete experience. Let's just see what happens, let's see the audience watch it. I hope they connect to it and if they do then yes there's definitely more to do, and I will not be napping for too long!"
The Batman Will However Continue With HBO Max Spinoffs
Reeves, who earlier claimed he is looking to top Nolan’s The Dark Knight Trilogy may be focusing on one story at a time to achieve that level of perfection. Even Nolan took three years to make The Dark Knight and another four years to complete his trilogy after Batman Begins. Moreover, Reeves could be also eyeing to execute the spin-offs, focusing on Gotham City Police Department and Colin Farrell’s Penguin respectively, wherein Reeves is actively involved as executive producer and co-creator.
The Batman may not be followed up for a sequel soon, but it will serve as a foundation to any potential stories that may be spun out of it in the future. The Batman is the first DC Films project to be released as a solo, separate film since the studio ventured into the shared film continuity segment with DCEU. Besides The Batman, Warner Bros. will continue DCEU with releases like Black Adam, The Flash, and Aquaman: The Lost Kingdom. It’s also possible that Batgirl will also release this year as an HBO Max exclusive set in the same franchise. The Batman is already receiving a massive response from fans and is likely to attract a huge group of fans within its first week. And if that goes accordingly, The Batman 2 may soon be pushed into the pipeline.
The Batman will release in theaters on March 4, 2022.