Could Matt Reeves's 'The Batman' be retooled to include the coronavirus pandemic?
As a result of the coronavirus pandemic sweeping across the world (and claiming the life of a crew member), Matt Reeves's 'The Batman' has been placed on hold for the time being. But while the delay is pretty frustrating for both the people working on the movie and the fans who desperately want to see it on screens, there may be a silver lining.
Being on hiatus does give creators some time to rethink their ideas and it looks like that's exactly what Matt Reeves has been doing. In an interview, the director revealed that he's been taking stock of where the story has reached so far, which raises the possibility that the pandemic could shape how the movie's final version plays out.
"There is that thing too, when you get to push pause," Reeves told the Daily Beast. "I’ve worked on some other movies where, for various reasons, you have a shutdown—whether it’s an actor gets sick and needs time to recover, or actually one time I got sick and needed time to recover. I do find that any time you’re in the midst of something enormous where you can suddenly stop and take a little stock of where you’re at, that can be a creative gift as well. But I think the hardest thing is just that we lost a beloved crew member. That, to me, is something we’re all still dealing with."
While he doesn't specify how this break may have changed things for the movie, it does seem as if the pandemic may become a major influence on many of the movies and shows that are going to come out in the near future. Kevin Smith's 'Twilight of the Mallrats', for example, has reportedly been retooled to include the coronavirus pandemic as part of its script so it's not too far outside the realm of possibility that the pandemic may play a part in shaping the way 'The Batman' turns out.
Perhaps the Riddler has developed a virus that could incapacitate Gotham City? Or maybe the pandemic is already underway and the Penguin has a nefarious plot to use it for his own gain? There are definitely options for the pandemic to play into the movie and considering how personally the situation has hit the director and the crew, this might, in fact, become a reality.
'The Batman' is currently scheduled to release on June 25, 2021, though it remains to be seen if the movie may be delayed due to the production hiatus.