Image: Warner Bros.
We’re a long way from seeing Matt Reeves’ second installment in his Batman trilogy, but the director is already pondering how to avoid a problem that’s plagued bat-sequel films for years: they always seem to focus on the villains instead of focusing on Batman himself.
Reeves identified the problem (without naming names) during an interview with Collider: “For me, what I really feel is that I also believe that Rob [Pattinson] is so special in the role. My goal has always been to do those point-of-view stories that allow the character to always be the emotional center of the story. Because what often happens after you’ve done the first one is that other Rogues Gallery characters suddenly come in and they kind of take over, and then Batman, character-wise or emotionally, takes a backseat.”
It sounds a little silly if you think of it as “The Batman sequel will focus on Batman,” but Reeves is right. If you remember the sequels in Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy, you remember the villains Joker and Bane far more than the role Batman plays in the films. At least they pushed the film instead of the titular character, unlike Batman Begins and The Batman, where Bruce Wayne honed his skills before returning to Gotham City and actively pursuing a serial killer.
There’s no reason to think Reeves can’t pull it off; He directed both of the Planet of the Apes sequels which continued to focus on Caesar and his journey and both were quite excellent.
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