Well before the upcoming release of Matt Reeves’ “The Batman,” WarnerMedia was already expecting the film to be a hit. How do we know this? Well, the studio has already started development on at least two spinoff TV series and is likely going to announce more down the line. So, for the first time in the history of the ‘Batman’ franchise, we’re looking at a reboot that is not only relaunching the Caped Crusader, but it’s also setting up a new extended universe. And according to Reeves, this was all part of the plan from the beginning.
Speaking to EW about the release of “The Batman” in a few weeks, Reeves talked about creating a new “Batverse.” You see, the new film doesn’t just lay the groundwork for Robert Pattinson’s portrayal of Bruce Wayne, aka Batman, but the film also sets up various side characters like Catwoman, Riddler, The Penguin, and Commissioner Gordon.
“What I really wanted this movie to do was create a Batverse,” explained Reeves. “You don’t do a story and go, ‘This is Chapter 1’ because you might not get to do Chapter 2. So, the story had to stand on its own. But the thing about it is that the Bat world is so rich with character that as you’re starting to come to an end, you can already start thinking about the next thing. Because the idea, of course, is that Gotham’s story never ends.”
So far, we’ve seen reports of one spinoff focusing on Colin Farrell’s Penguin character, exploring the world of the criminal underground. In “The Batman,” the Penguin isn’t the crime boss that he’s known for being in the comics. He’s still just a bit of an underling, which is a situation that could lead to fun storytelling. The second spinoff is supposedly about the Gotham City Police Department, with Gordon playing a role in the series. As with the Penguin, Gordon (played by Jeffrey Wright) has yet to reach his comic book counterpart’s level of success, and he’s yet to actually be the Commissioner. So, you have to assume the series would focus a bit on that rise.
All that to say, Reeves is fully committed to launching a new cinematic universe with his version of ‘Batman’ coming on March 4. We’ll just have to see how big of a success the film is to fully understand just how wide the universe is willing to go.