For many directors, getting the opportunity to direct a Batman movie is a dream come true, not for Matt Reeves though. In a recent interview, the Cloverfield director explained why he was hesitant to take on The Batman, despite it being about a character he adored before working on his upcoming film.

Reeves, who got his blockbuster breakthrough directing Dawn and War for Planet of the Apes, became a part of The Batman conversation in late 2016 when DC was still entertaining the idea of doing a solo Batman film with then-Caped Crusader, Ben Affleck. The actor had been working a script for The Batman that Reeves ultimately tossed aside.

Nevertheless, in an interview with Uproxx, Reeves recalled those initial conversations by saying that when he was first approached by Warner Bros., he was under the impression that it was the Affleck script they wanted to use. That story was described by Reeves as being within the more action-minded DCEU and “a James Bond kind of thing.” This premise was what caused him to dismiss the idea because he’s “usually looking for the reason to say no,” yet to his surprise, the studio actually wanted to pick his brain over what plans he’d have for The Batman.

Reeves made sure to tell executives he “didn’t want to do one of these stories where the Rogues Gallery characters come in and it’s really their story and Batman is a cipher because he’s already mastered himself.” Instead, Reeves wanted to build the character from the ground up. After asking for six months to present his idea and finish Planet of the Apes, Warner Bros. said yes, and that is why Reeves guarantees that The Batman is the movie he wanted to make.

The Batman director also addressed the idea of why it was important to do away with the tired old story of Bruce parents being murdered, as it’s been done countless times, and instead use a Batman who’s still discovering himself. That same reasoning follows through with Catwoman and Penguin, with the latter still being a somewhat modest crime lord and Selina far from reaching her full Catwoman form.

In the end, Reeves wants to make the piece of cinema he can put together, all with the added factor of it being all about Batman in the confines of the more mature and grounded script he and Peter Craig penned. Considering the love Reeves feels for the franchise, it simply had to be done his way.

The Batman will be released exclusively in theaters on March 4, 2022.

Source: Uproxx