The hype surrounding Matt Reeves’The Batmancontinues to grow, especially after it was confirmed the upcoming film would be nearly three-hours long. Now, it has been reported that early test screenings at Warner Bros. showed a four-hour cut of the film.
The Batmanwill focus heavily on a noir-driven, detective version of The Dark Knight, as the filmwill take place in Bruce Wayne’s second year of fighting as he is forced to deal with corruption and tracking down a new enemy known as the Riddler. Reeves' film appears to be more faithful to the original comics, with an even grittier, more gothic Gotham City. In fact, Reeves addressed some of the biggest inspirations for his version of Batman, sharing that thecharacter is inspired by Kurt Cobainand the ’90s grunge scene, so fans can expect a much more sinister and tragic version of the caped crusader.
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Comparing the four-hour version ofThe Batmanto recent feature films likeZack Snyder’s Justice League, which clocked in at 242 minutes, makes it a little more bearable. Snyder corrected many of the wrongs in 2017’sJustice League, which eventually led fans to have a greater appreciation for a director being able to follow his true artistic vision. While a film’s runtime doesn’t determine how well a story will be told, it would be interesting to see what that extra hour ofThe Batmanwould add to the theatrical cut.
What’s even more surprising about Reeves' four-hour cut that was shown is that the film is the first in a trilogy, something, even in comic book films, that isn’t seen too often. WhileZack Snyder’s Justice LeagueandMarvel Studios’Avengers: Endgameboth presented lengthy runtimes, those were films featuring numerous heroes and served as the culmination of many films that spanned several years.
With a four-cut ultimately unsuitable for studios to have as a theatrical release, even at 175 minutes, it’s clear that Reeves' film will contain plenty of world-building and is looking to explore the character in Gotham City in greater depth. After all,two spin-off series focusing on The Penguinand the GCPD are in the works.
The Batmanis set to release in theaters on March 4th, 2022.
