The Batman director reveals why he’s not doing another Bruce Wayne origin story

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Matt Reeves says The Batman will "still acknowledge his origins" though

(Image credit: Warner Bros.)

The Batman (probably) won’t be going to Crime Alley to relive Bruce Wayne’s darkest day. There’s a reason for that. Director Matt Reeves has revealed that he’s approaching the iconic character slightly differently and eschewing the traditional origin story despite Robert Pattinson playing a younger version of The Dark Knight.

In an interview with Nerdist, Reeves said, “I wanted to do not an origin tale, but a tale that would still acknowledge his origins, in that it formed who he is.”

“Like this guy, he’s majorly struggling, and this is how he’s trying to rise above that struggle,” Reeves said. “But that doesn’t mean that he even fully understands, you know. It’s that whole idea of the shadow self and what’s driving you, and how much of that you can incorporate, and how much of it you’re doing that you’re unaware of.”

While Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins touched upon Bruce Wayne’s early crimefighting career, it didn’t expand at length on how the character grew from Ra’s-Al-Ghul’s defeat to The Dark Knight. Instead of arriving into Gotham fully formed, R-Patz’s version will seemingly struggle to fill those heavy Bat-Boots.

This new take is one that drives Reeves as he wants to stand out from the lineage of Batman’s cinematic history: “I thought, ‘Well, there’s been some terrific Batman movies,’ and I don’t want to be part of a long line of Batman movies where this is just another one. I feel like they’ve been really distinctive,” Reeves explained.

So, expect something new from The Batman. No origin re-telling, but a man who will continue to be shaped by that unseen story for as long as he’s protecting Gotham.

Bradley Russell
Bradley Russell

I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.