Summary
- Matt Reeves' vision for the Dark Knight drew successfully on neo-noir detective cinema.
- The Batman's New Hollywood influences helped forge a compelling new take on Gotham City's crime-ridden streets.
- By drawing on the rich history of Hollywood political thrillers, The Batman Part II can find fresh ways to explore familiar villain stories.
The Batman drew heavily from some classic Dark Knight storylines. Matt Reeves’ vision of a young Batman was influenced by arcs that drew the vigilante into conflict with the warring crime families of Gotham, including Batman: Year One and The Long Halloween. But bringing the darkest iteration of the vigilante yet seen to the screen also took its cue from cinema’s rich history of hard-boiled detective thrillers.
As the Riddler stalked Gotham, picking off prominent city members, Batman’s investigation showed the influence of directors like Alfred Hitchcock and New Hollywood helmers like Alan Pakula, William Friedkin and Roman Polanski. As The Batman universe expands, those influences can grow in interesting directions.
The Batman: Bruce's Poor Detective Skills Actually Make Sense
Robert Pattinson's Bruce Wayne is both impressive and imperfect. The character's inexperience as a detective adds depth and sets up the sequel's arc.
The Batman Lent Into The Rich History Of New Hollywood
Polanski is a controversial filmmaker, but the legacy of his films, especially 1974’s Chinatown, continues to be felt. Reeves compared the relationship of Selina Kyle Reeves and mob boss with a dark past Carmine Falcone to John Huston’s Noah Cross in Polanski’s neo-noir film. The movie’s portrayal of cities was also felt in Reeves and cinematographer Grieg Fraser’s incredible vision of a crime-ridden Gotham City.
Starting in the mid-1960s, the era that saw young directors knock musicals and westerns out of the way with hard-hitting films is now known as New Hollywood. The Batman borrows brilliantly from the classics of that time. For instance, there’s an undeniable hint of the 1970s thriller Klute starring Jane Fonda and Donald Sutherland in Batman and Catwoman’s relationship.
The Penguin Shouldn't Be Necessary Viewing For The Batman Part 2
While The Penguin is great television, people who can't or won't watch it shouldn't be lost when they head to the theaters for Batman 2.
Se7en was another detective thriller that left a mark on The Batman’s Gotham City. It’s felt in the horror noir atmosphere, the buddy cop dynamic of Gordon and the young Batman, and the serial killer’s attention to detail. An unmistakable nod to Se7en came with the chilling way the Riddler allows himself to be caught by GCPD.
It all combined to make an undeniably distinctive chapter in The Batman Epic Crime Saga that has expanded with The Penguin series. But having leaned into detective thrillers so successfully, it’s time the saga expanded the crime influence. After all, no fan expects The Batman Part II to feature another serial killer in the style of the Riddler.
A New Crime Direction For The Batman Part 2
The expanded influences of the new film could grow from the films that made their presence felt in The Batman. Reeves has already compared the relationship between Batman and Gordon to that of investigative journalists Bernstein and Woodward in All the President's Men (1974). Played respectively by Dustin Hoffman and Robert Redford in Pakula’s film, those characters were the real-life Washington Post reporters at the heart of the Watergate scandal that brought down President Richard Nixon.
That style of political thriller, which reached peak popularity in the 1970s, is the perfect way to open up facets of The Batman Epic Crime Saga as it moves beyond the comic arc of The Long Halloween.
The Batman 2: 15 Possible Villains For The Sequel
As fans wait patiently for a sequel to The Batman, the desire to see these famed Batman villains in the live-action series only grows.
Rumored to be played by Boyd Holbrook, The Batman Part II is set to introduce Harvey Dent, the ambitious district attorney who forms a pact with Batman and Gordon to take down organized crime. Batman lore records that it didn’t end well for Dent, with a mob attack leaving him physically and mentally broken as Two Face.
You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain.
That famous quote from The Dark Knight accompanies the district attorney’s fall, which forms the spine of The Long Halloween and its sequels.
Drawing on thrillers that draw politicians and journalists together would provide The Batman Part II a larger fabric to tell its story. Fans last saw the pact between Batman, Gordon and Dent in live-action in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight. Drawing the Gotham Gazette into the crime saga would be a far cry from the journalists we’re used to seeing trying to unmask Batman (Like Vicki Vale in 1989’s Batman) and set it apart from Nolan’s epic. The exposure of corruption and intrigue in political circles is a neat way to draw Dent’s hot shot (and, of course, elected) District Attorney into the story. Given the vast potential for Dent to get on the wrong side of many influential Gothamites, including Bruce Wayne if the new film builds on his socialite persona, his fall could be a gripping whodunnit.
A Wealth Of Inspiring Political Thrillers That Could Influence The Batman
Other political thrillers that could make their presence felt in The Batman Part II include The Day of the Jackal. There have been two film adaptations of Frederick Forsyth’s novel about a political assassination attempt, the most famous of which was released in 1973. Late 2024 will see the story adapted for a Peacock-exclusive limited series starring Eddie Redmayne and Lashana Lynch.
Some famous examples from the genre suggest that it’s been influencing big-screen Batman for some time, particularly in portrayals of the Riddler. The Parallax View was a 1974 film that saw Warren Beatty’s TV journalist caught in a political assassination plot that saw fast-paced subliminal images used to brainwash people. Fans may be reminded of the Brainwave device that enabled the Riddler to steal thoughts in Batman Forever. Three Days of the Condor is a 1975 thriller in which genre hero Robert Redford’s CIA officer tracks down coded messages in books. Given the Riddler's survival, that plot point could influence future films.
The Batman: Bruce's Poor Detective Skills Actually Make Sense
Robert Pattinson's Bruce Wayne is both impressive and imperfect. The character's inexperience as a detective adds depth and sets up the sequel's arc.
Directed by Francis Ford Coppola, The Conversation is a highly-regarded 1970s thriller. Drawing from the story in which Gene Hackman’s surveillance expert picks up evidence of a murder could bring tension, claustrophobia, and ethical dilemmas in spades. Political thrillers that drew on the legacy of WWI like The Boys from Brazil and Marathon Man wowed audiences in the 1970s, Both movies hinged on fantastic lead and support actors — something that’s a given in T he Batman Part II.
Drawing out the conspiracy and cover-ups, 1977’s Capricorn One focused on a fake Mars landing. A classic that made a dent in popular culture, it proves there’s enormous scope for Reeves’ Batman series to move in the genre.
The Batman 2: 15 Possible Villains For The Sequel
As fans wait patiently for a sequel to The Batman, the desire to see these famed Batman villains in the live-action series only grows.
There’s no doubt that looking in this direction would also be a shrewd move, considering the success the Marvel Cinematic Universe had when it drew on the political thriller genre. Steeped in movies like All The President’s Men and uncoincidentally starring Robert Redford, Captain America: The Winter Soldier remains one of the MCU’s high points.
- Release Date
- October 1, 2027
- Director
- Matt Reeves
- Writers
- Matt Reeves, Mattson Tomlin, Bill Finger, Bob Kane
- Prequel(s)
- The Batman
- Franchise(s)
- Batman
Cast
-
Bruce Wayne / The Batman -
Colin FarrellOz Cobb -
Andy SerkisAlfred Pennyworth -
Jeffrey WrightJames Gordon
The Batman Part II is the sequel to Matt Reeve's The Batman, released in 2022, and will continue where the original film left off. The film shares a universe with the HBO Max original Penguin series and sees the return of the Riddler and a different incarnation of the Joker.
- Studio(s)
- Warner Bros. Pictures, DC Films
