The Matt Reeves Trilogy | THE BATMAN | Pink Man

Matt Reeves has plenty of options when it comes to continuing his version of Gotham on the big screen and also in the spinoffs. 

But after The Batman, I'm primarily interested in seeing how Reeves could construct three unique films for the big screen that build on a continued story, but also add their own approaches and tone.

The filmmaker, cast and crew have spoken in interviews about how they'd love to do a whole trilogy with this new Batman, and with that looking likely after the success of the first film. lets dive into some of the potential things that we could see in a Matt Reeves Batman trilogy.

Matt Reeves Trilogy

So instead of making a Batman film that tied into the existing DCEU, Matt Reeves began his take on The Batman with a strong standalone movie, depicting a young and inexperienced caped crusdaer during his second year in the cowl. Alongside grounding the world of Gotham, yet also giving us a more gothic take on the city, we get more realistic portrayals of iconic villains like with the zodiac inspired riddler, the Godfather-esque Penguin and Carmine Falcone.

And now that the filmmaker's vision has already been a success on the big screen, making $750 million worldwide at the box office so far, this new separated universe has opened the doors for further expansion in both the following movies and in that of the HBO Max Penguin and Arkham Asylum series.

According to Matt Reeves and his team, it's the first chapter of a planned trilogy that will begin a larger character arc for Robert Pattinson’s Bruce Wayne or Batman, alongside that of the villains that have been introduced and those that are yet to take the spotlight. Important plot developments are yet to happen and it's quite obvious that we will get this with more films.

But one thing that I am looking forward to and I think it's important to point out, is that every film is likely to be it's own thing too, while developing the overarcing storyline. Reeves has built a world that could contain that of 3 unique subgenre in 3 different films, while still containing all the bat-lore and established detective noir tones that the first film had. 

The Batman Triology and Unique Film making

Just like how Christopher Nolan made 3 distinct Batman films in the Dark Knight trilogy that at the same time, all built on Bruce Wayne's journey, The Batman can interogatte different aspects of Robert Pattinson's Batman to an even deeper degree with three different films.

For example, we might get a more emotional drama with that of Mr Freeze and his connection to Nora in a sequel or even a Horror Mystery film with the court of Owls as the main antagonist. Connect those villains and storylines to the larger development of Pattinson's crusader and you have a very unique trilogy.

I can see Reeves doing this because he'll want to approach something that is quite different from the first film but one that also feels like it's still apart of that world. And the way to do that is to introduce new sub-genres. Like with Nolan and The Dark Knight Trilogy, Reeves did something similar in his two Planet of The Apes films, with Dawn of Apes feeling more like a dramatic and intellectual blockbuster and War of Apes being more of an emotional character tale, bringing the trilogy to it's epic conclusion.

They felt like two distinct films with new characters and visual cues, yet they also felt apart of the same world due to the overall narrative and connection we had to Caeser's story as it expanded. So how could this work in sequels to The Batman. Well, coming back to the court of owls as an example, with The Batman film focussing heavily on themes of corruption and class division in Gotham City, an adversary like the Court of Owls, being a cult made up of Gotham’s elite that’s been secretly controlling the city the whole time, could make for an interesting set of developments.

The rabbit hole would only get deeper yet connect to the very notions and societal morals that were previously introduced in this story. Going up against the Court of Owls could also force our protagonist to centrally confront his own connections to power, and a cult-inspired story could not only work well in connection to things in the real world today, but it would also be a good opportunity for the filmmaker to approach it through a horror and cult subgenre lens too.

Attaching all the Bat-related and more comic inspired elements on top, and it could make for a perfect cocktail of what fans would want to see and also what they wouldn't expect. It would be similar to how Reeves balanced a Batman film with a detective noir in his first entry, but this time, by leaning even more into the horror and mystery of a powerful cult, you can bring a completely new flavour.

Extend this to the filmmaking, whether it be the tone of the score, the use of cinematography or other production aspects, and there's loads of new things you could do to exapnd a trilogy of films with Robert Pattinson's Batman at the very centre.

Villains

And before I get into what the journey of Robert Pattinson's Batman could look like, like we've just mentioned with the court of owls, there are so many great villains you could tackle in a new trilogy of films. Of course, one of the biggest surprises in The Batman was the introduction of Barry Keoghan’s Joker, and it's a version of the character that has already come in contact with Pattinson’s Dark Knight, leading to his current imprisonment in Arkham Asylum.

We know that this version has recently made friends with the Riddler and this proto version of the clown prince of crime is seemingly being set up as one of the main villains, if not the big bad of The Batman trilogy. I personally think that Reeves is going to show more of him in the sequel, but to avoid comparisons with that of The Dark Knight in being the second film of a trilogy involving the Joker, I would think they would build on this character over time to be used in a final film as the main villain.

There's still loads of space to really show him become the joker and he could even put together a team of supervillains ahead of his final film confrontation with Batman. But yeah, I think they are going to really take the time before having him as a central villain. Also, after the release of that deleted scene, I do think his character would smoothly fit into this detective serial killer world of villains that Reeves introduced and pairing him with riddler is a no-brainer.

And speaking of Riddler, Joker did promise him a comeback story, so it looks like we havn't seen the last of him too. Whether that's in the Arkham Asylum show or in the next films, it's yet to be seen, but I'd put my money on him being in a future film, maybe even a concluding one with the joker, because it would bring this story full circle. Maybe even a revenge thriller with both them after all of the secrets have been uncovered in the previous films.

A full-on ride of insanity that becomes Batman biggest test, mentally and physically. They'd have the opportunity to show a more developed version of that alliance and have them fully come into the light by the end. Then you have Colin Farrell's the Penguin, a villain that is getting his own HBO max show, but in the current landscape, he's sure to show up in future films too.

He's basically the current ruler of Gotham’s criminal underworld due to the collampse of Carmine Falcone’s empire at the end of the first movie, and I'm sure that the Penguin is going to quickly establish his new Iceberg Lounge, in which we'll watch him rise to power and create more threats. The Batman sequel could begin with the Penguin ruling Gotham’s underbelly and assisting other main villains.

Maybe he's the scarecrow of this particular trilogy, just like Cillain Murphy was a cool side villain in the other films, but this time with more development including in that of his HBO Show. I think Reeves is going to focus on a different main villain for the sequel whether it be with Hush and that inspired storyline, the court of owls or Mr Freeze.

But Penguin and some others could work as aiding side-villains that if go down as well as the first film, won't just feel like unnecessary additions. Some superhero movies fail when they stuff their films with too much, but The Batman proved that Reeves is capable of taking his time to introduce different factions and make them seemlessly work together. We'll have to see what villains do pop up in the next films, but right now those are the main ones I'd predict, leading into a final film with that of the joker and the assistance of riddler. 

Catwoman, Commissioner Gordon and Alfred

Moving on, it's key that I discuss some of the other characters that we are bound to get a continuation of and what their future could hold. Starting with Catwoman, The Batman of course focused more on the romance between the cat and Batman, with the movie even ending on a very poetic shot of Catwoman abandoning Gotham for Bludhaven while Batman stays behind to fight for Gotham city.

Before the end of Matt Reeves trilogy, it's quite clear that this duo hasn't seen it's end and that they need to be reunited at some point for an emotional closure to the built chemistry and connections between them. The question is how will they do that? Well, I think the ending is signifying that it will be some time before we see catwoman on screen with Bruce again, potentially leading to character growth in time for when they eventually do.

I think we might see Catwoman go down a worser path before she's fully redeemed, possibly embracing the more villainous side of her character in Bludhaven. I still think she'll grow her connection with Bruce and that he'll try talking her out of becoming like the people she fights, but I do also think that she'll need to go through a longer process before joining Batman in the light. Just like Bruce in that regard too.

Maybe we'll see a return of her character in the third movie to leave room for the newly introduced characters in the second. And maybe that could lead to more classic feminine introductions like with that of Poison Ivy. I mean I sure would like to see Ivy and Catwoman on screen together in a final film, but really there's little to go on when it comes to that being a possibility right now.

Still, I think Catwoman's journey is far from over and there will definitely have to be more of a space between her becoming the person that Bruce and Selina herself knows she can be. So going down a darker path, alas the ending shot, would be the first step towards an eventual redemption arc. We'll have to see, but really, Matt could do anything with that character after the ending in the first film.

I think all of these previously mentioned characters are going to get closer and closer to the versions of them that we know from the comics and with the first film showing the year one approach, it lays the foundations for that to happen over time. Then there's also Jim Gordon, who in The Batman had a larger role than usual, developing quite the buddy dynamic with the Dark Knight as they solved Riddler's puzzled and hunted down the rat, which soon turned out to be Carmine Falcone.

Jeffrey Wright gave us quite the classical portrayal, yet also quite the humourous one at times, and there's still more development and bonding between him and Batman to come. Like in Oldman's portrayal, I think it's likely that Gordon will go from a G.C.P.D. lieutenant to commisioner, especially considering that the current commissioner was gruesomely killed by the Riddler.

We'll most likely also get more time with him in that central police role than say Gary Oldman's version and it leaves us with plenty of time to see the added weight on his shoulders and how he helps Batman overcome that as more criminals come into the fray. Not too sure how they'll end his arc, but becoming commisioner is the certain to be apart of it.

And then finally is Alfred, who I think in the sequels will be much more present and hands on, in the aim to really guide Bruce in the right direction. Evolving that emotional scene between them in the Hospital and playing on those themes seems like the right way to push forward the story and that character. And it would totally be pushed forward if they re-introduced the storyline surrounding the death of Bruce's parents, calling for even more emotional dynamics between that of Pattinson's Bruce and Alfred.

We didn't see much of him in The Batman but what we got was quite powerful, so going deeper into their connection and challenging that would only call for a more crucial exploration of their bond and history together. 

The Journey of Robin Pattinson's Batman

And this is where we come to the dark knight himself. What could the journey of Robert Pattinson's Batman in this trilogy look like and what choices might the director make surrounding his character? Well, with Reeves introducing Batman as a lean fighting, yet young and inexperienced crusader, this is the perfect point to show how Pattinson's character transforms himself into the vigilante from the comics.

The first film focuses on showing us Bruce’s addiction to being Batman and how that has been engrained within his soul right from the moment his parents died. Bruce's soul is still on display in the cowl and we truly see the emotion in his performance and his eyes, but we don't get much of him out of the cowl.

He's a recluse, but when he does go out in public, he’s quite the awkward individual. So in the next movies, I'm sure we will see a process of Bruce figuring out how to lead both a life as Batman and Bruce, and this would involve more scenes with him outside of the cowl.

As the ending suggests, things will still get worse for him as Batman before they get better too and I'm sure his past and personal connections to what eventually unfolds will only be more testing. But seeing this develop and showing us Bruce become the Batman and the Wayne that we know he can be, is going to be one of the most facinating aspects of this new trilogy, especially with a performer like Pattinson playing him.

Iam sure we'll get all the cool stuff too like the new tech and upgrades he works on for the Batsuit, gliding with a new cape and work done on the Batmobile to fight the upcoming wave of crime, but the heart of it all will be in the character moments.

And like I've been suggesting multiple times in this essay, I think the personal connection and deeper dive into his history, his parents and that of Gotham is where this can all take place. The Riddler’s sins of the father clue was an intriguing conflict point for this new take on Batman, and with his father not being the straightforward hero he thought he was, it makes for further ideas to come to the table.

I don't think we've seen the end of this and I wouldn't be surprised if in one of the next movies, we see Bruce learn even more about the troubling history that took place. With Falcone telling Bruce that his father paid him to murder a journalist, one that could potential link to the story of Hush, and with Alfred giving us another side of that story, it’s possible that we don't have the all the answers, especially with who killed his parents. And if Bruce uncovers even darker truths about Thomas Wayne in the sequels, it provides more opportunities for his character to be interogated within the narrative.

The character study side to it if you will. Maybe we could get that with Hush, the Court of Owls, or both, and like the first film, it would successfully tie the motivation of the villain with that of Batman and make for a really compelling story. We'll have to see, but I think that's my current loose prediction on how they will go about exploring Pattinson's crusader in the next few films. 

The Batman Trilogy will Hopefully have more Focus

Overall, it's important that The Batman sequels not over-fill with characters but pick the right ones. And it's the same when it comes to the overall story and character journeys.Make them as focussed as possible in capturing Batman's powerful story with unique filmmaking to go alongside it.

One thing that was great about the first film is that it really took the time to establish it's world and narrative, building tension and dialogue through the imagery, sound and interactions on screen. It had an instantly recognisable aesthetic, and keeping that in the next films will of course be a priority. But Reeves won't just do the same thing again. He'll give us different films that still keep a focus on Bruce and his development as Batman.

And by directing that focus and not stuffing the film with too much, it will be hugely beneficial in making the audience care about what they're watching. I'm hopeful that Reeves will do that and waiting a few extra years for a well thought out set of films that have equal care put into each one rather then acting as teases for what's to come, is what I think we will get in The Batman trilogy.

Reeves has a proven track record of making films that serve individual stories and it mostly works for that very reason.I have faith in Reeves to construct a great narrative in the sequel and bring in elements to further the development already established. We'll have to see which route he takes, but after The Batman, I'm looking forward to whatever they do in this world, whether it be in the main films or in the Arkham Asylum and Penguin spinoff shows.