No matter how dark Batman has gotten, The Dark Knight Trilogy still holds a special place in many fans' hearts (at least the first two). Christopher Nolan showed how dark Batman could be, Christian Bale played a great Bruce Wayne, and Heath Ledger was his best Joker yet. But The Batman aims to go even further.
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The Batman
Dylan Clark, the producer of The Batman, went up to Christopher Nolan and told him that their version would beat his. According to Clark's interview with Empire Magazine:
"I've said this to Chris Nolan directly: 'Look, we're trying to be the best Batman ever made, and we're going to try to beat you.'"
Batman movies before never dealt with Batman's responsibilities as the comics did. Sure, it's great to see Bruce Wayne become Batman, but how many other films have made you feel that Batman was the only solution? Batman shows Batman's real struggle as he walks the razor-thin line between superhero and vigilante, much like Punisher.
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Matt Reeves, the director, knows Bruce Wayne, the playboy millionaire, is the mask, while Batman is Bruce Wayne's real personality. In the comics, Bruce Wayne accepts his parents' death incredibly quickly and dedicates his life to fighting crime in the comics. Nonetheless, it was incredibly difficult for him initially, and it isn't easy to be the one who the bad guys fear. Reeves told Empire:
"We've seen a lot of great stories about Bruce Wayne witnessing his parents' murder and then trying to find a way to cope with that by perfecting himself into Batman. But I wanted to do a story where he's already been through the origins and does not really know exactly how to be Batman. It is a Year Two story and I wanted you to connect to him. Not only as Bruce, but as Batman."
I'm looking forward to seeing what they're doing with Batman, are you?