Matt Reeves, the new director of the Dark Knight solo movie The Batman, apparently has full creative control over the Caped Crusader.
After a lot of back and forth, and after all the hoopla regarding Ben Affleck, Warner Bros. has given Matt Reeves the final say on The Batman – which was reportedly the deal breaker and then ultimately the deal maker for the director.
According to Slash Report, the deal between Reeves and WB initially broke down as Reeves wanted full creative control; much like James Wan supposedly has over Aquaman. Reeves knew that he had the power in the negotiations after the very public relinquishing of duties by Affleck, and subsequently walked away from the gig when he didn’t get his way.
According to this report, WB eventually caved and gave Reeves what he was looking for, granting him “the final say on all things The Batman”. Reeves had no interest in just being the guy hired to point the cameras, so by reading the situation it looks as if he has played his cards very well indeed.
How much of this will actually result in Reeves making the film he wants? Well, it’s hard to say. With big projects like this, studios tend to meddle, and with a lot seemingly resting on the shoulders of The Batman – especially if this year’s Wonder Woman and Justice League don’t come off as planned – one can imagine WB getting very hands on.
Perhaps these assurances Reeves has are iron clad, who knows, but if they’re not, we should probably take this seemingly good news with a grain of salt. So few directors get to make the movies they actually want, and it’s hard to imagine WB will let Reeves run riot if they don’t like the direction he is heading in.
Originally published March 1, 2017. Updated April 16, 2018.
