With Warner Bros and DC Entertainment’s The Batman (2022) currently taking theaters by storm, the eyes of fans are falling on what the future holds for the next chapter of this new caped crusader’s adventures. What other aspects of the Batman comic books could we see director Matt Reeves bring to the big screen in this dark new take on Gotham City? If you’re keeping your fingers crossed for Batman’s iconic sidekick Robin, you may just be in luck!
Filmmaker Matt Reeves has crafted a gritty new take on The Batman film franchise that feels pretty damn close to the comic book world the character originated in, while still borrowing some ideas from director Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy of films to make things feel more grounded in our reality.
While it’s interesting to think that we live in a world where The Batman exists, much like we saw in the Nolan films, that tends to close the door on some of the more fantastical aspects of Batman’s comic book world. In the real world, we aren’t likely to see a masked vigilante facing off with a giant shape-shifting clay monster or blasting off to outer space to fight space demons, and we most certainly aren’t going to see him dragging a brightly dressed minor into his war on crime to help fight the criminal elements of his corrupt city… right?
Now that we’ve seen Reeves’ new Batman (played by Robert Pattinson) in action and had a taste of his world, who is to say that we couldn’t just lean into the absurdity of it all? While much of the movie is grounded, we still have plenty of explosions, a massive car chase, and half the city flooding in the third act. So why not keep things going in that larger-than-life direction by bringing in his partner-in-crime-fighting, Robin the Boy Wonder?
Holy Boy Wonder, Batman!
In a recent interview with HappySadConfused, Matt Reeves expressed his interest in bringing the original sidekick into this version of the franchise, keeping an open mind to the idea and saying-
Maybe. I’ll just say maybe. I don’t know. Here’s the thing, I have a lot of ideas about what I want to do. I’m not sure what the next story is. For me, whatever that story is going to be, it’s going to take these characters, and specifically Batman, and put them in some kind of emotional jeopardy.
So it sounds like Robin isn’t necessarily in his plans, but absolutely could be if the right story came alone to bring him in. Reeves continued:
When you talk about what you’re talking about, there may be a really interesting story. There have to be emotional stakes to get drawn into that character’s story. I don’t want that character to become a cypher. I don’t want to be like, ‘Okay, it wasn’t an origin tale, but you know what, that was kind of the origins, and now he’s just perfect.’ No, you need to test the character again and again. For me, there might be something in that. I don’t know.
While we have recently seen various iterations of Robin making their debut on the small screen thanks to HBO Max’s Titans series, we haven’t seen any version of Robin in the live-action Batman films since the much-maligned Batman & Robin (1997). Is the world ready for a Batman film franchise with a grounded take on Robin? We think so, but here’s hoping Matt Reeves keeps thinking so too!
Warner Bros and DC Entertainment’s The Batman was written and directed by Matt Reeves. The film stars Robert Pattinson, Zoe Kravits, Colin Farrell, Paul Dano, Jeffrey Wright, John Turturro, and Andy Serkis and is now playing in theaters everywhere!
Do you think we’re ready for a new version of Robin on the big screen? Or is Robert Pattinson’s Dark Knight better off flying solo? Be sure to let us know your thoughts in the comments section below and stick around for more Batman updates!
