Matt Reeves Suggests A Noir Character Arc For His Batman

 

Matt Reeves’ version of The Batman — a name he now claims is a working title — has been the focus of much speculation since he took over the creative reins from one-time writer/director/star Ben Affleck. The film will apparently focus on a little-used aspect of the character in his cinematic outings: his keen detective skills. Reeves has talked about his plans before, but he reiterated it during a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, saying “It’s more Batman in his detective mode than we’ve seen in the films. The comics have a history of that. He’s supposed to be the world’s greatest detective, and that’s not necessarily been a part of what the movies have been.”
The director hopes to build a story in which Batman actively assess evidence to find the culprit, but he also intends for that active investigation to “allow his character to have an arc so that he can go through a transformation.” Which is an interesting notion as Batman really only has three or four key transformations in his life. Perhaps the film will also see him opening up to a partner; a storyline never properly developed on film.
Meanwhile, it seems Reeves has definitely done his research as he says the film will also be a “point of view-driven, noir” tale. Those terms suggest he might employ a storytelling technique long in vogue in the pages of Batman, but never used in his cinematic presentations: narration. Noir is one of the few film genres welcoming to voice-over narration and the phrase “point of view” suggests a good reason to let filmgoers into Batman’s mind. Like the detective aspect of the character, it is a place few Batman films have truly ventured.
While still not scheduled, Reeves hopes his Batman film will see release in spring or summer of 2021.