Liam Neesonrecently responded to the question of whether he would step back into the world of Batman as a villain in Matt Reeves’The Batmanfranchise. While much of the emphasis has recently been on James Gunn and Peter Safran’s grand plans for the DCU, there are obviously other DC projects still moving forward outside of that, with Reeves’ The Batman being the most prominent. However, for those wondering if Neeson would consider returning to Gotham City, he doesn’t seem too keen on the idea. He toldMen’s Health:
“‘Would I play a villain in the latest reincarnation of Batman?’ No, I’ve already done that in Batman Begins with Christian Bale. I was Ra’s Al Ghul. He wasn’t really a bad guy. He was trying to reorganize the world as it needs to be organized. No, I wouldn’t and I hear the latest Batman is like 3 hours long. Hello?”
Obviously, as Neeson explained, he has already been a big part of the Batman franchise, giving Christian Bale’s Dark Knight his first adversary in his former mentor Al Ghul. Of course, things didn’t end well for the character, and having played one Batman villain, it would be unusual for the same actor to take on another villain role, even if it is in a new Batman franchise. However, it seems that Neeson has done his Batman duty and has no interest in crossing paths with the crime fighter again.
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The Batman Can Be Every Bit As Successful as the New DCU
While it is assumed that the DCU will be the biggest focus for fans of DC Comics in the coming years, many people are perhaps not that enthused by the idea of having to put in another Marvel-level of investment into a superhero franchise. Building a universe may be the thing to do currently, but having already seen their first significant attempt at the DCU fail numerous times, perhaps Matt Reeves’ self-contained Batman franchise, as well as that of Todd Phillips’Joker, is more what is needed in an overcrowded world of interconnecting superhero stories.
Robert Pattinson’s take on the Dark Knight wasn’t exactly the flashy, fantasy superhero story that some expected, with the story taking Batman back to his early years and playing it as a straight-up noir detective movie. However, despite some complaints that this was not the same Batman played by the likes of Michael Keaton or even Christian Bale,The Batmanis still one of DC’s highest-grossing movies of recent years.The Batman Part II, and two spin-off series, are already in development, and more could certainly follow with Matt Reeves deeply invested in this iteration of Batman and the world he inhabits.
Which DC franchise will end up being the ultimate winner in the next several years is hard to predict, but in the meantime, it looks like whichever side of the DC fans are most interested in, plenty is coming to keep both sides happy.
