‘The Batman’ Director Matt Reeves Cites ‘Jekyll & Hyde’ As An Inspiration For Film

The Batman Matt Reeves Jekyll Hyde

Earlier today, it was reported that Warner Bros. Pictures is quite happy about the latest draft for The Batman that Cloverfield and War for the Planet of the Apes director Matt Reeves turned in. It is clear that Reeves has a love for the Caped Crusader, and he has quite an interesting source of inspiration with his take on Bruce Wayne: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

Reeves recently appeared at the Television Critics Association press tour to help promote the upcoming Fox drama series The Passage, in which he serves as a producer. During the press tour, he was asked about the duality of Bruce Wayne and whether or not his true identity is with the Cowl and Cape or without it. Reeves had a fascinating comment and explained why he sees the Jekyll and Hyde connections:

“Gosh, that’s a tough question. I think that it’s interesting, because one of the things that I’ve found interesting, just as we’re working on the story, is looking back at Jekyll and Hyde, and the idea of your shadow-self, and the idea of, we are all multiple things. It’s different aspects of who we are, and I think there are times when maybe the surface of Bruce is not really who he is, but that’s his disguise. There are times when Batman’s the disguise, but there are times when his true essence comes out, because by being veiled, a kind of instinctual side comes out that’s very pure… It’s not an easy question to answer, in that I think that we are all made up of so many different aspects of ourselves that make the whole. I don’t know if you could ever reduce anyone to one part of what they express. That’s what’s fun about his character, is that there’s a very bright light that shines on his shadow side. The idea of all of that is incredibly exciting. It’s part of what makes it fun for me to work on.”

Comic book readers often cite the primary heroes of DC Comics as Gods Among Us (which is certainly a reason why the Injustice series includes that as a subtitle). The reason why a human like Batman stands along a Kryptonian, an Amazonian and the King of Atlantis among other larger-than-life heroes is that he proves that humans are capable of standing alongside these giants – that physical strength, genius intelligence and unparalleled intuition are superpowers in and of themselves.

That is part of the reason why people gravitate to Batman so much. He’s a character that despite his wealth, physical prowess and intelligence, he is the most human out of any hero within the DC Comics lore. It is that duality that Bruce Wayne struggles with that helps support the argument that his true identity is in the Cape and Cowl.

What do you think about Matt Reeves’ inspiration from Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde when it comes to his take on his upcoming film? Sound off in the comments below, and be sure to continue following Heroic Hollywood for all the latest news about The Batman, Matt Reeves and other exciting information from the DC Extended Universe.

Details on the story for The Batman are currently under wraps, though the project is rumored to be centered on a younger Caped Crusader and Matt Reeves confirmed that it will not be based on Frank Miller’s Year One comic.

The Batman is one of the many projects currently being developed by Warner Bros. and DC Films, including The Flash standalone film, Green Lantern Corps, Birds of Prey, Black Adam, Cyborg, Black Adam, Supergirl, New Gods, Nightwing, a Deathstroke film,and a Joker origin movie set outside of the DCEU.

Stay tuned to Heroic Hollywood for the latest news on The Batman and all DC upcoming projects!

Source: IndieWire

Noah Villaverde

Noah Villaverde

Cinema lover. Saxophone player. Coffee consumer. Chronic complainer. Oh, I also write. #TeamHeroic