DC finally has a new director for The Batman solo movie, and his name is Matt “War for the Planet of the Apes” Reeves after all. After initial reports that Reeves was the top choice in the running to take over the seat that Ben Affleck had vacated, new reports emerged last week that negotiations between the director and Warner Bros. had broken down leaving everything in limbo. However, it appears that the two parties have worked through their issues as the studio has confirmed that the Cloverfield director has landed the job. Here’s the official statement from Reeves himself via Collider:
I have loved the Batman story since I was a child. He is such an iconic and compelling character, and one that resonates with me deeply. I am incredibly honoured and excited to be working with Warner Bros. to bring an epic and emotional new take on the Caped Crusader to the big screen.
Warner Bros. president and chief content officer Tonh Emmerich chipped in as well:
We are thrilled to have Matt Reeves taking the helm of Batman, the crown jewel of our DC slate. Matt’s deep roots in genre films and his evolution into an emotional world-building director make him the perfect filmmaker to guide the Dark Knight through this next journey.
As for Affleck (who wasn’t mentioned whatsoever in the press release although that’s probably just a case of oversight), he had a much simpler message for Reeves:
Welcome to the Batcave, @MattReevesLA pic.twitter.com/JsB4sGGux2
— Ben Affleck (@BenAffleck) February 24, 2017
While I’m still convinced that Batman V Superman is in fact a damned good movie which deserves more love, grabbing Reeves is a great move for Warner Bros. The man clearly has plenty of skill behind the camera, and it’ll be interesting to see just how his own ideas mesh with the work done by Ben Affleck and DC Comics’ Geoff Johns on the script and Zack Snyder’s wider vision for the DC Extended Universe.
Hell, maybe this time we can even get Jared Leto’s purring Joker more than five minutes of screen time. Or at least an origin story of how his teeth met Batman’s fist. I’m just throwing ideas out here. Anyway, there’ll be plenty of Batman on the big screen soon, as Batfleck pops up in Zack Snyder’s Justice League movie in November.
Last Updated: February 24, 2017
Lu
February 24, 2017 at 08:17
Yay!
Allykhat
February 24, 2017 at 08:52
For now…
Jac7
February 24, 2017 at 08:59
I believe now that no matter the director, studio interference will most likely ruin any creative freedom that goes into making what should be a great movie. Reeves is awesome, but so is David Ayer, and just look how Suicide Squad turned out. I still liked it, but man, was it lacking.
The D
February 24, 2017 at 09:11
There might be some hope on the horizon. For starters, Warner Bros. did some massive restructuring over the flak from Suicide Squad.
DC Comic’s Geoff John now has a bigger role in the creative direction of these films, and even Justice League was retooled amidst the fallout.
Although personally, I’d settle for WB and DC keeping David Goyer away from writing any scripts, because that guy really hates comic bok characters lately.
Jac7
February 24, 2017 at 09:32
Well that is good news, especially if Warner Bros. could admit that they had been wrong, or should I rather say devious in keeping the people with the love for the source material at bay. It’s like I said, I liked Suicide Squad, but man, it was squandered potential. I like that they are learning from their mistakes, and I’m totally seiked if Mel Gibson actually takes on the role of director for Suicide Squad 2.