The Real Reason The Batman's Matt Reeves Says He'll Never Direct An MCU Movie
Over the past 15 years or so, Matt Reeves has emerged as one of Hollywood's most talented and dependable filmmakers. After getting his start in the 1990s and early 2000s working on shows like "Homicide: Life on the Street," "Gideon's Crossing," and "Felicity" (via IMDb), Reeves put himself on many viewers' maps in 2008 with "Cloverfield." Behind the camera, Reeves followed up that directorial outing with the atmospheric and underrated "Let Me In," but achieved widespread mainstream success when he directed "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes."
That 2014 blockbuster established Reeves as a director who is not only capable of handling big-budget franchise films but also someone who can bring his own personal, artistic stamp to them. He proved that a second time with 2017's "War for the Planet of the Apes," and based on the early reviews for "The Batman," it seems that Reeves has pulled off a similar feat yet again.
The new DC Comics film offers viewers yet another reimagining of Gotham City and its fearsome Caped Crusader, with Robert Pattinson assuming the role of Bruce Wayne AKA Batman in the massive superhero flick. Directed and co-written by Reeves, "The Batman" is shaping up to be another high-profile success for the filmmaker. With that in mind, it may surprise many comic book fans to learn that Reeves was hesitant for a long time about ever directing a superhero movie.
Matt Reeves didn't think he'd ever make a comic book movie
In a recent interview with Variety, "The Batman" director Matt Reeves revealed that he's been getting approached to direct superhero movies ever since he made "Cloverfield." However, Reeves also revealed in the interview that he didn't think he'd ever be able to make a superhero movie because of his approach to filmmaking and his need to be able to bring a specific vision to whatever films he makes. According to Warner Bros. Pictures Group chair Toby Emmerich, Reeves even told the studio he probably wasn't the director they were looking for when he was originally approached to helm "The Batman." It turns out that's something Reeves has done before too.
"I always enter into it with the idea that it's not going to be me," the director told Variety. "Because then if you want it to be me, you have to tell me you're willing to do what I want to do. I don't mean that in some kind of arrogant [way]. You're not going to get a good movie from me if you don't let me do what I do, because I don't know how to do it another way."
Fortunately for Reeves, his ideas for "The Batman" ended up being ones that the executives at Warner Bros. were interested in backing. "We needed an auteur, someone who was really going to create the DNA of this world," Emmerich said, before noting that Reeves' "specific vision" for "The Batman" was what sold Warner Bros. on him being the film's director.
However, while Reeves' desire to create something very specific from the ground up is what made him the right director for "The Batman," it's also the reason why he doesn't think he'll ever make a movie set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Reeves doesn't think he'd work well with Marvel Studios
During his interview with Variety, Matt Reeves revealed that he doesn't think he'll ever be able to direct a film for Marvel Studios. In fact, the "Apes" and "Batman" filmmaker admitted that he thinks even attempting to do so would result only in frustration for both him and Marvel. "I have such respect for Kevin Feige and also for the [Marvel] filmmakers," Reeves said. "But to be honest with you, I just don't know how I would make my way through that."
Reeves went on to say that he needs to feel like he is discovering new things about his projects while he's working on them, and that requires him being given a level of leeway, time, and creative flexibility that isn't usually afforded to filmmakers who venture into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. "There has to be some level of discovery for me, where I have some freedom to find my way. If I have to come into something that's already set too firmly, then I think I would get lost. And I don't think [Marvel] would be happy with me either," Reeves admitted.
While this may be seen as disappointing news to MCU fans everywhere, it's clear that Reeves has come to his conclusions about collaborating with Marvel after some careful thought and consideration. Fortunately, Reeves doesn't seem to feel the same way about Warner Bros.' various DC Comics franchises, which aren't nearly as interconnected or cohesive as the MCU, but do allow for filmmakers like Reeves to bring their own unique visions to the superhero genre.
At least, that's certainly what Reeves seems to have done with "The Batman."