The new Batman star, Robert Pattinson, was introduced to fans in a brutal first trailer that saw the Dark Knight hitting a scammer within an inch of his life. The material immediately excited the viewers, as it showed a more sinister version of the emblematic character than ever on the screen. The comic book counterpart has often been written in a way that offers a mature cinematic performance, but DC has not yet portrayed it for the movies. While there was hope that Matt Reeves’ new adaptation would be what he provided, unfortunately Warner Brothers just confirmed that this would not happen, leaving a fan to write:[This is] a great disappointment. “
In a statement that should not shock fans, The Batman received the PG-13 age rating. However, it still has caused some to jump on the news as they were looking forward to an R rating.
It comes after both the directorial part of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Zack Snyder’s Justice League received a mature rating. However, no movie had a mainstream release in the cinema, instead, they came straight to home video and streaming, respectively.
In fact, they are the only two examples of R-rated Batman, as all previous films have received the PG-13 approval mark. They are Batman, Batman Returns, Batman Forever, Batman & Robin, Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight Rises and the theatrical piece of Batman v Superman.
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DCEU is at a crossroads, as Warner Brothers’ upcoming plan for the superhero universe is mostly lighter in color. The film that will determine the future of the franchise is The Flash, a multi-universe travel film that brings to the boat various versions of the Dark Knight.
Both Michael Keaton and Ben Affleck return for the film, with the latest star confirming that this is their last time appearing as the character. The star of The Dawn of Justice told the Herald Sun that The Flash “made a very nice end to my experience with this character”.
Keaton has been back as a Caped Crusader since leaving the franchise after Batman Returns in 1992. He left the controversy over the lightest tone the series led to. Speaking on The Envelope Podcast, the 1989 Batman star spoke about his conversations with Batman Forever director Joel Schumacher – a film that raised the comedy compared to the first two installments.
Keaton said: “When the director who directed the third … I said, ‘I just can not do it.’ Adding: “One of the reasons I could not do it was … and, you know, he’s a pretty good guy. He died, so I would not call him bad even if he was alive. After more than a few meetings where I kept trying to rationalize doing it and I hope I told him to say, “I don’t think we want to go in that direction, I think we have to go in that direction.”
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Other upcoming DC movies include the DC League of Super-Pets, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, Shazam! Fury of the Gods and Batgirl. However, the Aquaman has already been confirmed to be darker in tone, but the horror-inspired spin-off of The Trench was canceled last year.
However, there is another film that is at the heart of the discussion about DC’s age rating – Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam. Focusing on the magic antihero, the film will not have an R rating, but recent sources claim that Johnson fought to get the mature seal. According to the Giant Freaking Robot, the wrestler who became an actor was determined to make Black Adam an adult-only film, but Warner Brothers was not interested.
The site claims that a “truce” could have been achieved, which would mean that Black Adam 2 would be rated R if the former was successful. For now, fans will have to accept that Warner Brothers wants DCEU to have a lighter, more comedic tone, and that Batman was meant to be a PG-13 from the beginning.
