Matt Reeves’ The Batman, coming into the DC Films Universe, is actually starting a new trend. Reports have suggested that this version of Batman will be independent as Matt Reeves wanted total isolation of his character to tell his story. Now he is locked in for a trilogy, and we know that his movies won’t have any connection with the DCEU.
It was rumored earlier that The Batman will be a prequel story to Ben Affleck’s Batman, but now we know that those rumors were false. This version of Batman will be building his Bat-Universe. There’s already going to be a Rogues Gallery in motion. Here’s what Reeves had to say about the villains of the film:
“We’re thinking the movie would probably be for 2021, late spring or summer. Warner Bros. has been incredibly supportive and given me a lot of time and shared the same passion that I do for this story. There will be a Rogues Gallery. The casting process will begin shortly. We’re starting to put together our battle plan. I’m doing another pass on the script and we’ll begin some long-lead stuff to start developing conceptual things.”
Jim Gordon and Alfred will be recast, and Forbes has also reported that Robin will also be in the film. So we can see a Bat-family coming our way. All this is set in a continuity which is different from the DCEU. Ben Affleck has left the Cape and Cowl, & Robert Pattinson has picked it up. Henry Cavill is also supposedly out as Superman, moreover, WB actually wants to use Supergirl instead.
The upcoming sequels of Wonder Woman, Shazam!, Aquaman & The Suicide Squad will take place in the DCEU. Even Birds of Prey is set in the same Universe, but The Batman starts its own Bat Universe, exclusive of everything else. It is a separate continuity and it seems that WB will run two separate shared Universes. Now don’t get confused with Joker, as it is its own separate entity. It won’t be part of any Universe as it is a one-off film. The Batman, on the other hand, will continue.
As it turns out, WB actually seems to be looking to do the same with Supergirl. The Batman may be in a separate Universe, but according to a report from We Got This Covered, the story of Supergirl will also be set in the same Universe as The Batman, even though they won’t crossover with each other. It is supposed to revitalize the Kryptonian Mythology altogether, moving away from what Zack Snyder established. Hence, the future of the DCEU may be two separate Universes.
WB only plans to do solo films for almost the next decade or so. There won’t be any crossover films even though we may get ensemble films like The Suicide Squad and Birds of Prey. The likes of Aquaman, Wonder Woman & Shazam will always run solo until they finish their trilogies. Batman, Superman, and Cyborg of this Universe won’t be interacting with these three heroes in any way other than what Shazam! showed us. As far as the Flash is concerned, we have no clue as to what’s the future of the character.
The Batman will bring in a more detective based approach to the story as never has a Batman film explored the fact that Batman is indeed the World’s Number 1 detective. This film would establish that. Here’s what Reeves had to say about his Noir-Batman themed story:
“It’s very much a point of view-driven, noir Batman tale. It’s told very squarely on his shoulders, and I hope it’s going to be a story that will be thrilling but also emotional. 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. I’d love this to be one where when we go on that journey of tracking down the criminals and trying to solve a crime, it’s going to allow his character to have an arc so that he can go through a transformation.”
The upcoming slate of DC movies looks like this – Joker (October 4), Birds of Prey (February 13, 2020), Wonder Woman 1984 (June 5, 2020), The Batman (June 25, 2021), The Suicide Squad (August 6, 2021) and Aquaman 2 (December 16, 2022).
