The Batman’s Director On Building the New Batcave And the Batmobile

The Batman is set to take a more realistic approach to the Dark Knight… and that extends to the Batmobile and the Batcave, too.

During an interview with Esquire UK, director Matt Reeves explained his take on Batman’s iconic vehicle.

“The Nolan films established the Batmobile as a tank, which was a brilliant idea,” he said. “But I thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be cool if this guy is a loner and a gearhead and fashioning these things by himself, taking parts of other cars and kit cars?’ So, it’s recognizable as a car this time. But it’s like a muscle car. One that he’s made himself.”

Check out the virtual Batcave from #TheBatman on the Oreo website !

(via https://t.co/3dHCLtuGIn) pic.twitter.com/C0U2PoR7D8

— The Batman Film News ? (@TheBatmanFilm_) January 12, 2022

This is a stark contrast to earlier Batmobiles. As mentioned, Christopher Nolan’s Tumbler was a highly militarised take on the Batmobile, while Schumacher and Burton’s designs took a wilder approach.

It certainly makes a lot of sense. After all, The Batman takes a more grounded approach to DC’s Dark Knight. It also takes place during the early days of Bruce Wayne’s vigilante career, so it makes sense to think of him tinkering with the Batmobile as he tweaks and improves it.

A recent trailer gave us a glimpse of the new Batmobile in action, and that “gearhead” vibe certainly comes to mind when you’re watching the Batmobile tear through a wall of fire in hot pursuit.

Similarly, it looks as though Reeves has gone for a more down-to-earth approach when it comes to the Batcave.

“The new Batcave is based on a secret underground railway that still exists in New York,” explained Reeves. “The idea being that some of these wealthy industrialist families had private train cars at the turn of the century. So, the Batcave is actually in the foundation of this tower. It was [another] way of saying, ‘How can we root all these things in things that feel real, but also extraordinary?’”

Robert Pattinson stars as The Batman alongside Zoë Kravitz as Selina Kyle, Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth. In the same interview, Reeves addressed the backlash to Pattinson’s casting, which the director says is par for the course when it comes to casting a new Batman.

The Batman is fast-approaching and at a little under three hours, it’s set to be the longest dark knight film yet.

Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.