Director Matt Reeves Clarifies That ‘The Batman’ Will Be Part Of The DCEU [UPDATED]
Update:The Batmandirector Matt Reeves has clarified his remarks aboutThe Batmannot being “part of” the DC Extended Universe. He confirmed on Twitter thatThe Batmanwill still take place in the DC universe. See more below.
The state ofThe Batmanmovie has been in a state of flux since its inception. At first,Ben Affleckwas set to direct, then not.Matt Reevescame on board and decided to throw out the original script in favor of his own. And most recently it’s been speculated that Ben Affleck won’t even end up starring in the film.
Now, it seems that the one thing that we thought was taken for granted thatThe Batmanwould fall under Warner Bros.' growing DC Cinematic Universe, may not be true. Reeves confirmed that when he joined the project, Warner Bros. allowed him to approachThe Batmanas a standalone movie that he says won’t be connected to the larger DCEU.
Here Is What The Batman Director Matt Reeves Said
Reeves had been working on revampingThe Batmanafter original director Ben Affleck stepped out of the director’s chair. Affleck and DC Films co-headGeoff Johnshad worked on a script forThe Batman, but Reeves has reportedlythrown that out to start from scratch, presumably to make his vision of anoir-driven, detectiveBatmanfilmcomes to life.
Now Reeves recentlytold radio station KRCW(via Batman-On-Film) that he may be working on more than just a rewrite of aBatmanfilm, but an altogether separateBatmanmovie:
“Well I have a vision for a way to do something with that character [Batman] that feels like it resonates with me personally, and a perspective that can grow out into other things. When they [Warner Bros.] approached me, what they said was ‘look, it’s a standalone, it’s not part of the extended universe.'”
Now there are a lot of ways to read this statement: that Matt Reeves’Batmanfilm won’t take place in the DCEU at all, but maintain its own continuity. He’s already voiced enthusiasm for making his ownBatmantrilogy, perhaps in the vein ofChristopher Nolan’sThe Dark Knighttrilogy, which existed in a universe of its own before the DCEU was launched withMan of Steelin 2013. Or: it could just mean that Matt Reeves is making aBatmanmovie that won’t be burdened by world-building orJustice Leaguecameos.
UPDATED: What Reeves Meant By ‘Standalone’
Reeves posted on Twitter on Thursday, “OF COURSE Batman will be part of the D.C. Universe. Batman will be BATMAN,” clarifying that he meantThe Batmanwill be a “standalone” in that it won’t interact frequently with other films or characters from the DCEU.
Jeez, what’d I miss, guys…? 😀
Just to be clear: Of COURSE Batman will be part of the D.C. Universe. Batman will be BATMAN…
— Matt Reeves (@mattreevesLA)June 01, 2025
In my comments from a while back about not being part of the DCEU, I was talking about The Batman being a story specifically about Batman…
…not about the others in the Universe. That it wouldn’t be filled with cameos servicing other stories — that it would be a BATMAN story.
It goes with what I originally posited as the original comment just being a case of misleading wording. Rather than being indpendent of the DCEU, it would be part of the universe but not have to deal with world-building or extensive Justice League member cameos.
A “standalone” movie that’s “not part of the extended universe” could mean that Warner Bros. is letting Reeves off the leash and letting him do as he pleases — and why wouldn’t they? He has spearheaded thecritically acclaimedPlanet of the Apesreboot trilogythat has gone on to reasonable box office success. It’s also in line with Warner Bros.’ old mantra of letting a director with a distinctive vision take the reins on a superhero movie — though they’ve walked back on that sinceSuicide Squadbombed with critics and executives.
Not to pull from the other side of the aisle, but “standalone” films exist in the Marvel universe too. Films likeGuardians of the Galaxyremained fairly unconnected to the rest of the MCU, allowing them to flourish creatively and not be weighed down by clunky world-building or foreshadowing. This may be the case forThe Batman— which would be a relief, as some of the best Batman stories are the ones isolated to Batman and Gotham.
What Does This Mean for the DCEU?
On the other hand, this could potentially be the biggest news for the DCEU yet. IfThe Batmandoesn’t fall under the DC universe umbrella at all, it could be a splintering off of the multiverse afterFlashpoint.
When we were told thatthe script was going to be completely rewritten(months before Reeves confirmed our intel in interviews), we were also told that Reeves came on to the project because Warner Bros. assured him that they could do his own thing without having to be connected or determined by the other DCEU films. But we didn’t imagine that meant that WB was entrusting him in his ownBatmanuniverse independent of the DCEU. But if they were to set it independently of the Justice League storyline, could that confirm the steady stream of rumors thatBen Affleckwon’t star inThe Batmanafter all?
I can’t say for sure, though it’s entirely possible that this could be Warner Bros.' way of harnessing the box office power of their most successful superhero without it being influenced by the embattled DCEU as it struggles to gets on its feet followingthe success ofWonder Womanand thesidelining ofZack Snyder.And it could be a simple way of letting Affleck leave the rolehe seems eager to be done with afterJustice League.
Will This Be Related to the Joker Origin Movie?
As we recover from the shock of learning thataJokerorigin moviewas going to be directed byTodd PhillipsofThe Hangoverfame and produced byMartin Scorseseand the guy who wrote8 Mile(Scott Silver), I have to wonder whether its claims of a Batman Extended Universe being launched holds water. The initial reports claim that the Joker movie will exist outside of the current DCEU chronology (although the source, Deadline, isn’t the best to parse superhero beat, so who knows), which certainly opens the door for Matt Reeves' The Batman to do the same.
PerhapsThe Batmanand theJokermovie could be related, and part of the same universe separated from the rest of the DCEU. WithoutJared Leto’s embarrassing performance as the Joker looming over Reeves’Batmanmovie, this is actually a somewhat pleasant option. It could ruin any general audience member’s understanding of the sprawling DCEU and its offshoots, but hey, as long as we don’t have to deal with a Joker that has the word “Damaged” tattooed onto his forehead.
