Upcoming film The Batman takes inspiration from Grunge music’s biggest icon.
According to Matt Reeves, director of The Batman, his inspiration for his vision of Bruce Wayne’s character is Kurt Cobain.
Reeves revealed this in the recent Empire Magazine profile on his film that stars Robert Pattinson as a young Bruce Wayne/Batman.
Since the first trailer, many noticed that Nirvana’s “Something In The Way” was used, albeit a darker version. Turns out Matt Reeves is channeling Cobain’s vibe into the latest reincarnation of The Batman on the silver screen.
The director revealed that while writing the film, he would have the aforementioned song playing in the background.
“When I write I listen to music, and as I was writing the first act, I put on Nirvana’s ‘Something In The Way.’ That’s when it came to me that, rather than make Bruce Wayne, the playboy version we’ve seen before, there’s another version who had gone through a great tragedy and become a recluse. So, I started making this connection to Gus Van Sant’s ‘Last Days,’ and the idea of this fictionalized version of Kurt Cobain being in this kind of decaying manor.”
This idea led Reeves to eventually cast Robert Pattinson as Bruce Wayne/Batman.
Reeves added that he was impressed by the actor’s performance in ‘Good Time.’ “In that movie you could really feel his vulnerability and desperation, but you could also feel his power. I thought that was a great mix. He’s also got that Kurt Cobain thing where he looks like a rock star, but you also feel like he could be a recluse,” said Reeves.
The latest issue of Empire “features the world-exclusive full story on the Dark Knight’s radical return – taking a full deep-dive with Reeves, producer Dylan Clark, and their stellar cast on their road into Gotham, their very different conception of Bruce Wayne, the Zodiac Killer-inspired reinvention of the Riddler, and the unexpected influences that make for a Batman story unlike any that’s hit the silver screen before,” Empire wrote.
The latest issue features three different covers—one with Robert Pattinson in full Batman ensemble, Zoë Kravitz as Catwoman, and a noir-inspired depiction of The Batman inspired and taken from the movie. The Batman also features Paul Dano as The Riddler, Colin Farrell as The Penguin, Jeffrey Wright as Commissioner Jim Gordon, John Turturro as Carmine Falcone, Peter Sarsgaard, Jayme Lawson, and Andy Serkis as Alfred. Reeves directs the screenplay co-written by Reeves and Peter Craig.
Batman is created for comics by Bob Kane with Bill Finger.
The Batman is slated for a March 4, 2022 theatrical release and will be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures.