(Image: Warner Bros. Pictures)
With "Batman Begins" recently celebrating its anniversary, screenwriter David S. Goyer joined the "Happy Sad Confused" podcast to look back on the film's creative process.
The realistic tone of "Batman Begins" made it a landmark film in the superhero genre, breaking from the exaggerated and cartoonish style of previous "Batman" movies. It also dedicated significant screen time to Bruce Wayne's training rather than having him appear as a fully-formed crimefighter from the start. However, Goyer revealed that Warner Bros. Pictures was initially hesitant about this approach.
Goyer noted that the first hour of "Batman Begins" features only Bruce Wayne, with no appearance of the Batsuit, a decision that made Warner Bros. "not very happy." Goyer explained his intention was to build the character so the audience would genuinely connect with Bruce as a person, avoiding the common pitfall where viewers are just impatiently "waiting for the next time he suits up." To persuade the studio executives, Goyer even used Christopher Reeve's "Superman" as an example, pointing out that the amount of screen time dedicated to Clark Kent before he becomes the Man of Steel was comparable to Bruce's journey before donning the cowl.
(Image: Warner Bros. Pictures)
Goyer not only co-wrote "The Dark Knight" trilogy but also later joined the writing team for "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice." However, he confessed that "The Dark Knight" trilogy director, Christopher Nolan, had advised him against taking on other Batman-related films. "I remember Chris advising me not to get involved with the Affleck Batman because it would cloud my mind," Goyer said. "We had our take, and that should be it."
(Image: New Line Cinema)
Goyer's extensive work on superhero adaptations also includes writing the original "Blade" trilogy for Marvel Comics. He has previously expressed interest in returning to pen the script for the MCU's upcoming reboot starring Mahershala Ali. In the interview, Goyer admitted he was also perplexed as to why Marvel Studios has struggled for so many years to get the new "Blade" into production. While he isn't aware of the specific reasons for the delays, Goyer offered a piece of advice: the story for "Blade" must be kept simple and shouldn't get overly complicated.