Batman is one of those superheroes who can be adapted in variety of ways. Joel Schumacher's two movies and the 1960s TV series opted for the campy approach, while Tim Burton, Christopher Nolan and Zack Snyder have all highlighted the character's dark nature. Following the release of Justice League, War for the Planet of the Apes director Matt Reeves will take the reins on Ben Affleck's Batman, and while he will remain a shadowy figure, Reeves is keen on making his Batman movie stand out from its predecessors by emphasizing the mystery elements from the Caped Crusader's comic book stories. Reeves explained:
I think there's a chance to do an almost noir-driven, detective version of Batman that is point-of-view driven in a very, very powerful way, that is hopefully going to connect you to what's going on inside of his head and inside of his heart.
After explaining how his movies use the camera as a way to empathize with the character's point of view, Matt Reeves told New Trailer Buzz that he's aiming to tell a detective story with the upcoming Batman movie, which be the character's fourth appearance in the DC Extended Universe. Previous live action Batman movies have touched on Bruce Wayne's crime-solving abilities, like him analyzing fingerprints to find a hideout in The Dark Knight or investigating the White Portuguese in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, but none of those stories have properly shown why he's earned the title of World's Greatest Detective. So going for a noir-driven, detective tale would be a novel way to give audiences a Batman that hasn't been fully represented on the big screen yet, as well as help us understand this vigilante even more than we already do.
When Ben Affleck was still attached to the Batman movie as its director and co-writer, the story was going to involve Gotham City's protector battling Deathstroke, but with Matt Reeves now in the director's chair and the script reportedly being re-written, it's unclear whether Slade Wilson will still be the main antagonist. However, given that he's arguably the best mercenary in the world, it would be interesting to craft a murder mystery around the one-eyed assassin. Still, Gotham City is one of the seediest metropolises in the DC universe, so it wouldn't be hard to find a murder to solve and determine who the culprit is, be it one of his regular rogues or a new criminal who has hit the scene.
The Batman movie doesn't have a release date assigned yet, but it's one of the many DCEU projects currently in development, including ones centered on Batgirl and Nightwing, two fellow Bat-allies. For now, moviegoers can look forward to the Dark Knight protecting Earth with Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Flash and Cyborg when Justice League comes out on November 17.
