Batman Director Matt Reeves Isn't Making an Origin Story

Batman director Matt Reeves spoke this week at the Television Critics Association and offered a much-needed update on the state of his take on the Dark Knight. It’s coming along, he says, with plans to roll cameras in the first half of 2019.

“We are working on getting our draft in the next couple of weeks and things are progressing,” he said. “We have conceptual stuff going and coming into being and my head is totally in the script.”

Reeves said that after the meeting, he was leaving specifically to work on the script.

He didn’t offer much in the way of specifics, but Reeves did push off one notion: We’re not getting another origin story. Along with fellow DC hero Superman and Marvel’s Spider-Man, Batman has perhaps the most recognizable origin story in comics and maybe even pop culture, and we’ve seen it depicted in live action, animation, and on the page over and over again. The last thing we need is another rehash of young Batman.

“I’m just excited to be focused on a tale that’s defying for [Batman] and is very personal to him, but at the same time, we’re really – obviously we’re not doing any origin tales or anything like that – but definitely Batman, emotional, and him being the world’s greatest detective,” Reeves said.

That last part is heartening. The Dark Knight Rises saw Batman turn from a tech master, detective, and ninja to a grumpy old boxer with a busted-up knee. Whether Ben Affleck is returning to play Batman or not (probably not), I’m excited to see what Reeves does with the character.

Speaking of Affleck, Reeves was far less specific about other aspects of the movie. Affleck is still involved, but Reeves can’t say how just yet. He also says that the movie “connects to the DC universe,” and calls his movie “one of many pieces,” but didn’t say explicitly that it’s on the same timeline as Batman v. Superman and Justice League. As for a character like Robin appearing in a Batman movie for the first time in 20 years? “I can’t comment on any of that stuff!”

With Batman set to start filming in spring of 2019, we’re not going to see it in theaters until at least 2020.