He’s vengeance, and he’s finally in theaters! The Batman debuts on the big screen this weekend. It’s director Matt Reeves take on the Dark Knight, with Robert Pattinson in the starring role. So what makes this one different from the others?
Jeffrey Wright, who plays Lieutenant Gordon, tells ABC Audio this film goes back to its comic book roots.
“Matt set out to go back into the comics and celebrate Batman yes as superhero — yes, as dynamic crime fighter, but primarily as world’s greatest detective,” he explains. “It gives my Gordon an opportunity to be engaged in a way that maybe we previously haven’t seen.”
Another difference lies in Wright being cast as Gordon, a move he says was not just “for diversity sake” but “because it reflects the reality of who we are.”
“I know there are a lot of questions about… why I might have been cast as Gordon? Well, Gordon’s Black now, what does that mean? And if you look at the original Gotham of 1939, [Batman creators] Bill Finger, Bob Kane fashioned it after New York City, 95 percent white at the time. You look at New York City today it’s a far cry from that,” he says.
Wright adds, “A fantasy about a major American city that’s not inclusive of people from, you know, a myriad of American backgrounds makes no reasonable sense.”
Even with the differences, as a fan of Batman since the 1960s Adam West series, Wright promises their version will satisfy fans, while also bringing something new to the franchise.
“Yes, it’s a Batman film… it’s adrenaline filled… it’s kinetic, it’s got a velocity to it, but it’s also psychological and emotional. And at its core, it’s a murder mystery. And a bit of a love story as well,” he says.