DCEU: 10 R-Rated Movies DC Needs To Make
3. The Batman
Whether it's Ben Affleck, Jake Gyllenhaal or somebody else who ends up playing Batman in Matt Reeves' long-gestating solo movie, it absolutely needs to be the first ever R-rated Batman movie.
Given the dark, gritty nature of the character and how long fans have been craving a Batman film that truly hunkers down into the trenches with the character, this really feels like the time to do it, especially with a director of Reeves' caliber.
Of course, Batman shouldn't be killing anyone, but he can certainly mete out some bone-crunching violence, and that's to say nothing of the brutal activities his foes might get involved in.
Basically, it needs to be a deep dish detective story that thoroughly exposes the true seedy underbelly of Gotham City.
How Likely Is It?: This is a tough one. Reeves has proven with his Apes movies that he can pack a lot of dark subject matter into his PG-13 films, but ultimately it comes down to this: will Warner Bros. want to risk losing a fat stack of cash on an R-rated Batman film?
It's all further complicated by Affleck possibly not being involved and another actor taking over, which would certainly make it a bigger financial gamble and, therefore, more likely to be PG-13. It could go either way, but it's probably smarter to tend towards the safer, more cynical option. 4/10