The Batman Spinoffs And Sequels Depend On Success Of The Movie Says Director Matt Reeves

JB Augustine |

Jan 28, 2022

Matt Reeves has his own pocket of a cinematic universe to play in since he set The Batman apart from the rest of the DCEU. That said, while there aren’t spinoffs galore announced for HBO Max, more content is being discussed.

But all plans that include sequels and spinoffs are tentative in that they are hinging on the reception of a movie that hasn’t even come out yet – though the trailers from 2020 and 2021 have been praised warmly. “It will obviously have a lot to do with how people receive this film,” Reeves said to Esquire.

He could be saying that as a disclaimer in case The Batman does poorly – a scenario no one is anticipating. If anything, fans and especially Warner Bros. are gambling on the film being a hit and it may break records like Batman movies have in the past (consult The Dark Knight).

And either way, the outcome is irrelevant when Warner and Hollywood is willing to throw money at anything that has the right message. The Batman’s wokeness level is unknown but they’ve got a lot riding on the next wave of DC movies, like HBO Max’s Batgirl, that will dabble in identity politics.

Furthermore, Reeves’ tent is already pitched and a handful of projects are in development under it. Spring boarding from The Batman is, first, a prequel series about the Gotham Police Department that will serve as a prequel and explain how the city and its cops got to be corrupt.

Rumors claim Kaya Scodelario is in talks to be in it and that Renee Montoya will be a central character. They speculate further Batman has an active part in the story, as will The Joker, sitting as a mystery man in Arkham everybody is curious about.

Joker is unconfirmed despite the above and other rumors he’ll be in The Batman, but we have a villain to beat out in the open. That is The Penguin and, played by Colin Farrell, old Oswald is tapped for his own prequel spinoff on HBO Max.

Farrell is signed on to reprise the gangster and the series will explore his rise to power in the underworld. It might also get into how he became as corrupt as the police force or the hand he played in their degradation, which could mean crossovers.

A new Batman cartoon is even in the works from Bruce Timm that Matt Reeves and JJ Abrams are producing. However, the show (Batman: Caped Crusader) exists in its own world and is strictly capitalizing more on the boom period the Dark Knight is in.

It doesn’t hurt either, nor is it a coincidence, that the nostalgia for the trendsetting Batman animated series of the 90s is at a high right now too.

Everyone will have a gauge of how The Batman is received and how spinoffs are going to work out when the film arrives in theaters on March 4th and streaming on April 19th.

NEXT: Producer Bruce Timm Says Batman: Caped Crusader Will Be More Inclusive in Its Representation