Posted in: Batman, Movies, TV | Tagged:

The Batman: Things Have "Shifted," But It's Still A Planned Trilogy

Matt Reeves says that creating The Penguin has shifted things a little, but they are still on track to make The Batman a trilogy.

No one loves trilogies more than comic book movies, and even ones that look like they are trying to "break the mold" are susceptible. The Batman was looking to do something a little different with the character when it was released, and the film itself was one of those infamous DC movies that looked like it wasn't ever going to escape development hell. However, pretty damn good reviews across the board and an excellent box office will open up a lot of doors, and Warner Bros. had someone working with a brain cell the day they told Matt Reeves to go crazy with this new corner of the DC Universe. We already know that another movie is on the way, and they are taking their sweet time getting it to the big screen, but this corner of the DC Universe is also heading to streaming with The Penguin on HBO.

Now that the show is about to come out, they are really talking about how connected it is to the movies, and when asked by Collider if a trilogy was still the plan now that they have a show, Reeves replied, "Yes, that is still the plan. I mean, it's sticking very closely to the path we envisioned." That's not to say things are completely the same; they had to change a little because the events of The Penguin are linked to The Batman and The Batman: Part Two. 

"Things kind of shifted," Reeves explained. "So, when we came up with the idea to do The Penguin, that was something where I had always intended to continue Penguin's story, and wanted to tell this story of his beginning of rise to power. Because we know that he's introduced in The Batman as a kind of mid-level, sort of overlooked, mocked figure, who's not yet in anyone's eyes the kingpin we come to know him as in the lore. And so, that was deliberate because I wanted— whereas it wasn't Batman's origin story, I wanted the origin stories of these other characters, of the Rogues Gallery, and that story was originally going to be the entrée into the next movie."

It's excellent to hear that Reeves understands one of the fundamental things about Batman and that he is the least interesting part of any story he's in. That's not a dig at the character; it's just how he's been written since pretty much day one, and it means you have to change how you write a movie around him. We're still getting a trilogy, which makes sense, but the idea is that Batman, the main draw here, is the one who ends up with movies. Then, the villains end up with television shows because you need more time to explore them because they are that much more complex than Batman, which is both hilarious and awesome. The Penguin will stream to HBO starting September 19, 2024, and The Batman: Part II will be released in theaters on October 2, 2026.

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!

Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!