Credit: Warner Bros./DC ComicsAfter the surprising success of The Flash – highlighted before it even came out by celebrities as big as Tom Cruise – it was only a matter of time before director Andy Muschietti was tapped to direct another big film. However, the film he’s been asked to direct next might be the biggest name in all of DC: Batman.
Now, if you’re thinking, “wait, didn’t they just come out with a new Batman a year ago?” Don’t worry, you haven’t gone crazy. Matt Reeves’ 2022 film The Batman, starring Twilight‘s Robert Pattinson, was a smash hit that would be very difficult to forget.
However, as Reeves previously been sure to make crystal clear, his Batman series has nothing to do with the DCU, which Warner Bros. has been trying to organize to MCU levels for some time now. Pattinson’s gritty yet hopeful Bruce Wayne – known affectionately to fans as “Battinson” – will likely never appear in any of those films (as evidenced by the fact that the Batmen who appear in The Flash are Ben Affleck and Michael Keaton)
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With the wild popularity of Matt Reeves The Batman, and a sequel due out in 2024, some may be wondering why they’re bothering to make another film about the caped crusader now – how could it possibly top The Batman?
Well, as it turns out, Andy Muschietti and new head of the DCU, James Gunn, have found a way to make the films so different that everyone will still want to see both.
How Will Andy Muschietti’s ‘Batman: The Brave and the Bold’ Differ from Matt Reeves’ ‘The Batman?’
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Matt Reeves’ Batman is characterized, first and foremost, by his youth – and secondly by his deep and obvious depression. Unlike every other version of the character we’ve seen portrayed in film, Robert Pattinson’s Batman is new – green. He’s only been doing this a couple of years, and until the end of the first movie, it was very much all about “vengeance” for him.
The Batman tells the story of Matt Reeves’ version of Bruce Wayne coming into his own, and realizing that he is, in fact, both the hero Gotham deserves, and the one it needs right now. The next film in the series will likely continue exploring that concept, and see Bruce Wayne begin to come into his own as the socialite we know he eventually must become.
James Gunn and Andy Muschietti, meanwhile, are working with an already-established Batman, and have decided to take his timeline in entirely the opposite direction.
The new movie will focus on an era of Batman long-requested by die-hard comic fans: The Bat family, featuring Bruce Wayne’s biological son Damian as his Robin.
Who is Damian Wayne?
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Damian Wayne is the youngest of all Batman’s Robins – born as a genetically modified clone to Talia Al Gul and raised to be the perfect assassin, Bruce Wayne has no choice but to get his son in line after he falls into his lap.
If Keaton were still playing Batman, however, it is likely that this is a slightly older version of Damian Wayne than the little troublemaker he’s usually portrayed as. (For our money, we would nominate Aidan Gallagher of The Umbrella Academy – Damian has a very similar energy to Five Hargreeves, a master assassin shoved into a pre-teen version of himself.)
Not much else is known about the film at this time – a screenwriter has not even been selected yet – but we do know it is based on the Batman: The Brave and the Bold comics by Grant Morrison, an author who Gunn called “exceptionally influential” on his plans for the DC Universe.
We’ll have to stay tuned to see how Batman: The Brave and the Bold goes, but one thing is clear: There’s plenty of room for both versions of Batman at the table.
Which upcoming Batman movie are you more excited for, Matt Reeves’ or Andy Muschietti’s? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments.