After “20 Years Of Really Dark Batman” Films, ‘Batman Begins’ Writer Thinks Fans Will “Welcome” A Lighter Take From James Gunn’s DCEU
In the opinion of Batman Begins writer David S. Goyer, the constant stream of “really dark Batman” stories produced over the last 20 years has left audiences both ready and willing for James Gunn’s DCEU to deliver a relatively lighter take on the World’s Greatest Detective.
Goyer, who in addition to co-writing Batman’s most recent cinematic solo outings alongside director Christopher Nolan has penned a number also penned the previous ‘Superman-centric first entry to a DC cinematic universe’ Man of Steel, offered his thoughts on the Caped Crusader’s DCEU future during a June 16th appearance on veteran entertainment reporter Josh Horowitz’s Happy Sad Confused podcast.
Amidst a larger conversation regarding his work on the Christian Bale-led DC origin story, the Blade trilogy screenwriter was at one point asked as to whether or not he was able to “immediately clock the influence” that the success of Batman Begins was going to have on Hollywood.
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In turn, the screenwriter recalled, “Sure, because what would happen is the same thing that happened after Blade. I would go out on these meetings, three or four months after the film had come out, and suddenly everyone was talking about how, you know, ‘We want what you did with Batman Begins but for this character.’ ‘We want the Batman Begins for this.'”
“Which I guess meant this sort of restructuring, re-expression, back-to-the-basics [approach],” he continued. “Casino Royale (2006) was very much viewed as the Batman Begins for Bond, and a lot of films were made and/or attempted to be made that way.”
Further pressed as to whether he thought “any wrong lessons you think any films took from Batman Begins?”, Goyer enthusiastically declared, “Of course! Because the wrong lesson is, you can’t chase the fad, because by the time you get the movie made, it’ll be three- or five-years from now and conditions that the world is in could be completely different.”
“But Hollywood is always reductive and acting that way, they’re just, “Oh, now everything’s going to be the Batman Begins version of something,” he added. “Or with The Dark Knight, we’re going to make ‘The Darker Knight’, or ‘The Even Darker Knight Still’.”
His attentions turned to the topic of Batman’s cinematic ‘tone’, Goyer then opined, “Which is why, you know, it will be interesting now to see like, the Gunn version of Batman come out, which will probably be a very different version.”
“And probably a welcome version,” the screenwriter further speculated, “because now there’s been 20 years of really dark Batman.”
Closing out this portion of their discussion with his thoughts on the DCEU itself, Goyer admitted that he not only loved what he was seeing from Superman‘s itself, but also the overall universe’s more ‘comic book-y’ vibe.
“People have said ‘How are you reacting to the trailers?'” he told Horowtiz. “I have not seen the new Superman yet, and I love them. It’s not Man of Steel at all. Because I came from that world [of dark and gritty realism], it would not have occurred to me to use Krypto. When Krypto shows up, I’ve just got a big grin on my face.”
At current, Krypto – as well as his somewhat notable master – are set to land in theaters when Superman opens on July 11th.
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