Kevin Feige Reveals What He Really Thinks About The Batman
"The Batman," releasing next weekend and projected to rake in the biggest opening weekend for a Batman movie yet, promises to be the standout superhero movie of the year thus far. The caped crusader, played this time around by Robert Pattinson, batarangs into theaters in the first DC movie since "The Suicide Squad," and arrives three months after Marvel batted in their own home run with "Spider-Man: No Way Home." Of course, it's expected for Marvel Cinematic Universe films to do well at the box office, but the third installment in its "Spider-Man" series surpassed even the wildest expectations, emerging as the biggest earner of the COVID-19 pandemic and becoming the fourth highest-grossing picture of all time. Coming on the heels of "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" and "Eternals," both of which performed well in their own right, the MCU remains an international juggernaut.
Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige has been the guiding hand behind the MCU's vision, navigating the franchise through 14 years of success, beginning with 2008's "Iron Man." As possibly the most influential figure in on-screen superheroes, his opinion carries a lot of weight. And, as it turns out, he's already spoken on what he thinks of "The Batman."
Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige thought The Batman was great
After Kevin Feige saw a trailer for "The Batman" last year, The Hollywood Reporter grilled him on his response to it during a wide-ranging interview. The Marvel Studios head responded positively, saying, "I thought it was great, and I thought he was great and everybody was great." He is, of course, referring to Andy Serkis, who is taking on the role of Bruce Wayne's butler and parental figure Alfred Pennyworth in the upcoming movie. Serkis directed last year's Tom Hardy "Spider-Man" spinoff sequel, "Venom: Let There Be Carnage," and has previously worked with "The Batman" director Matt Reeves when he played Caesar the Ape in Reeves' "Planet of the Apes" prequel trilogy.
Feige also singled out another "The Batman" star with previous MCU credits for praise, saying, "Jeffrey Wright, our Watcher, is great." Wright plays Gotham Police Commissioner James Gordon in the new Batman flick, and voiced the Watcher in the Disney+ MCU animated series, "What If...?" Feige continued, "I am beginning to think it's Jeffrey Wright's world and we live in it."
It's a bit telling that Feige contained his praise to multiple instances of the somewhat nondescriptive "great," and that he singled out actors who had connections to Marvel projects for specific adoration. DC remains Marvel's biggest competitor at the box office, after all, and perhaps Feige knows better than to give out too much free press. As we all know, with great power comes great responsibility.