"THE Batman" Matt Reeves x Keishi Otomo "same age" director special conversation complete version [Director's Interview Vol.194]

Batman's appearance was inspired by David Lynch.

Otomo: The first time I felt Director Matt's spirit of adventure was in the scene where Batman appears. We all wonder when he'll appear, and then Batman suddenly appears out of the darkness.

When I saw that scene, the flavor that Director Matt was aiming for jumped into my mind in an instant. There have been many Batman movies so far, but this was the scene that made me think, "This is the Batman I wanted to see!"

Reeves: I'm really happy about that. I think there's a psychological horror aspect to Batman's appearance.

The inspiration for that appearance was director David Lynch. There is a scene in Lost Highway (1997) where Bill Pullman appears from a corridor shrouded in darkness. I don't know why, but it's very scary, disturbing, and gives a strange feeling like being in a dream. I thought that Batman's appearance was also like a vision you see in a nightmare, and I wanted to make it into a movie. It's depicted that way to some extent in the comics, and I worked really hard to realize that expression.

For Bruce, the Batsuit has two goals. The first is, of course, to protect himself. But why does he show up in a bat-shaped suit? Because he wants to create a frightening impression. He wants to be seen as a beast that roams the night.

So it was really meaningful to me that Director Otomo paid attention to that appearance, because I too have always wanted to see Batman appear like that.

“THE Batman” (c)2022 Warner Bros. Ent. All Rights Reserved TM & (c)DC

Otomo: Ah, I agree. The Batsuit you just mentioned was also amazing. There were many scratches and signs of improvements, and the costume conveyed that Batman is human. These scratches are also traces of Batman's inner conflict. I was impressed by the attention to detail.

Reeves: Thank you. Regarding the costume, there was a concept of "not being perfect," and I wanted to make it something that would show Batman's humanity from the beginning.

Batman has been wearing that suit for two years, heading out into the city every night in search of a fight. I wanted to make the amount of damage he has sustained visible during that time. The Batsuit that the audience sees for the first time has scratches and stitches, and you can understand that it was homemade, that he is a lone wolf, and the efforts and conflicts he has gone through.

Another thing about the suit is that we had to consider the practicality of Batman. If you dress up as Batman, you can't be active in bright places. If he was patrolling in front of a liquor store or convenience store, he would be extremely conspicuous. People would think, "What is he doing?" (laughs).

So I realized I needed a different expression when I was on patrol. I couldn't be Bruce Wayne, who is super famous, and I couldn't be Batman, who stands out. So I introduced this drifter-like character.

Lighting that creates darkness and innovative Gotham City obsessions