In 2023, Andy Muschietti was chosen to bring Batman into the DC Universe as the director of The Brave and the Bold. Earlier that year, he made his comic book movie debut with The Flash, which does feature some fun moments involving not one, but two different iterations of the Dark Knight.
However, fans have wondered if even that makes the Argentine filmmaker, also known for helming the It movies, the right choice to be in the Batmobile’s driver seat, given The Flash’s overall divisive reception. In fact, there are actually several other acclaimed directors who might be a better fit that come to mind.
10
David Fincher’s Batman Movie Would Be A Stunning, Gritty Masterpiece
David Fincher on set of The Curious Case of Benjamin ButtonImage via Paramount / Courtesy of Everett Collection
Most of the absolute deadliest villains in DC Comics can be found in Batman’s rogues’ gallery, a few of which could even be categorized as serial killers. When it comes to stories about serial killers, Hollywood’s go-to guy for decades has been David Fincher.
Of course, not everything from the director of Se7en, Zodiac and 2010’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is an unsettling crime thriller, but much of his filmography is still unified by the same cold, hard-edged tone that has made the filmmaker a living legend. A Batman movie with a strong central mystery complemented by Fincher’s distinct vision could easily become an instant classic.
While The Dark Knight’s most valuable tool is his unparalleled investigative skills, it is also especially fun to watch the vigilante beat criminals to a pulp. However, in even some of the best live-action Batman movies, the fight choreography can be a little hit or miss, consisting mostly of blocking, luck and pure rage.
It would be refreshing to see the hero take out enemies with a method that is more calculated and even picturesque, but still intense and devastating, and an ideal candidate for the job would be David Leitch. The filmmaker made a living performing stunts and coordinating epic fight scenes before helping launch the revolutionary John Wick franchise, which he followed with his own catalog of wonderfully out-of-control action flicks like Atomic Blonde and The Fall Guy.
8
Jeremy Saulnier’s Batman Movie Would Brilliantly Depict One Of The Hero’s Defining Characteristics
In his breakthrough feature, 2016’s acclaimed A24 horror movie, Green Room, Jeremy Saulnier proved that he had a talent for crafting thrillers of a hauntingly bleak and intense degree. He even maintains this same vibe in, arguably, his best film, 2024’s Rebel Ridge, despite boasting a lead hero who never kills a single one of his foes. Hmm, that sounds familiar.
While Batman broke his no-killing rule in movies for years, in the comics and, thankfully, in most of his later films, he is depicted as the ultimate non-lethal hero, and Rebel Ridge proves Saulnier could nail this aspect of the character without causing him to lose his intimidating edge flawlessly. Plus, joining the DCU could potentially give him an opportunity to reunite with Rebel Ridge’s Aaron Pierre, who plays John Stewart in the upcoming Lanterns TV show.
7
Michael Mann’s Batman Movie Would Be A Striking Crime Epic
The crime genre was never the same after 1995 when Michael Mann released his acclaimed heist flick, Heat, starring Robert De Niro and Al Pacino as an experienced thief and the veteran cop on his tail, respectively. The classic has its fingerprints all over the most intense thrillers Hollywood has released since, most notably The Dark Knight.
Christopher Nolan’s 2008 blockbuster is all the proof the world needs that Mann’s take on Batman could be something special, or at least a riveting, action-packed experience. The filmmaker’s penchant for delivering fascinatingly complex analyses of the law from both sides makes the idea especially fascinating.
6
Gareth Evans’ Batman Movie Could Be Frightening And Action-Packed
While the John Wick movies get a lot of credit for redefining the modern action film (including in this very list; see the David Leitch section), one comparatively overlooked contribution to the genre’s evolution is 2011’s The Raid: Redemption and its arguably better sequel, The Raid 2, from 2014. These spectacular Indonesian imports, one a claustrophobic fighting epic in the style of Die Hard and the other a complex gangster story, come from writer and director Gareth Evans.
The Welsh filmmaker has also tried his hand at horror to great acclaim, with the “Safe Haven” segment of V/H/S/2 and Netflix’s Apostle, which sparks an idea of a specific proposal for his Batman movie if the opportunity arises. Why not an adaptation of Grant Morrison’s Arkham Asylum: A Serious House of Serious Earth that boasts all the same haunting imagery of the classic horror comic, but with some epic hand-to-hand combat sequences throughout?
5
Kathryn Bigelow’s Batman Movie Would Be Uniquely Authentic
Kathryn Bigelow on the set of The Hurt LockerImage via Jonathan Olley/Columbia Pictures / Courtesy of Everett Collection
In 2010, Kathryn Bigelow became the first female recipient of an Academy Award for Best Director for The Hurt Locker. Critics and admirers cite her astonishing ability to create immersive, realistic experiences onscreen, a talent she developed through decades of helming action films, as to why she earned her well-deserved win.
It is also a top reason why she would be a perfect choice to helm Batman’s DCU debut. Obviously, the new canon is not going for something as grounded as the Dark Knight Trilogy or Matt Reeves’ Batman Epic Crime Saga, but a film that allows the Caped Crusader to feel like a grounding element in this otherwise fantastic world sounds like the ideal mindset and a task Bigelow could achieve in her sleep.
4
Nicolas Winding Refn’s Batman Movie Would Tap Into The Hero’s Psychology
A key reason why Batman is a more compelling and complex character than most other superheroes, in addition to being a mortal man capable of extraordinary feats, is the man underneath the cape and cowl. At his core, Bruce Wayne is a severely damaged human being whose crusade against evil is fueled by trauma which is traced back to his parents’ murder that he witnessed as a child.
A movie that more deeply explores these characteristics, and in a realistic and nuanced fashion, sounds like a great idea, and a top-shelf choice to pull it off is Nicolas Winding Refn. Most of the Danish director’s filmography — including Bronson with Tom Hardy and Drive starring Ryan Gosling — is essentially a gallery of violent men, which is a category that Batman fits into perfectly, cementing Refn as a perfect fit to deliver a dark and engrossing psychological thriller that presents the superhero as his own worst enemy.
3
James Mangold’s Batman Movie Would Be An Old-Fashioned Good Vs. Evil Tale
James Mangold provided further proof of the kind of engaging, character-driven storytelling that comic book movies are capable of with his previous contributions to superhero fiction, especially the superb, Oscar-nominated Logan from 2017. If he could bring the same passion he brought to that rousing flick, starring Hugh Jackman as an older Wolverine, to a Batman film, it might just be an instant classic.
Despite featuring a superpowered mutant protagonist and a dystopian setting, Logan is a Western at its core, boasting many of the genre’s most traditional themes amid its fantastic elements. It would be a really cool idea to see Batman reinvented for the big screen as a hardened hero in the vein of Clint Eastwood’s roles from Sergio Leone’s The Man with No Name Trilogy. Not to mention, taking over for Batman would be one hell of a consolation if Mangold’s Swamp Thing movie does not work out for some reason.
2
Patty Jenkins’ Batman Movie Would Be A Fun Adventure
Perhaps the key to making Batman’s DC Universe debut a special occasion is to not indulge in the same kind of doom and gloom that has defined the character on the big screen since Christopher Nolan first touched the franchise. Besides, one might argue that Matt Reeves has already perfected that with The Batman, which exists outside of the DCU.
In that case, the right choice might be a filmmaker whose own contribution to the superhero genre proved to be one of the best DC Extended Universe movies, Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins. Maybe Wonder Woman 1984 could have been better, but if the woman behind Monster still possesses the same talents that led to the success of its 2017 predecessor, she deserves the chance to return to the world of DC and deliver a Dark Knight-led crowd-pleaser.
1
Ben Affleck’s Batman Movie Deserves To Be Seen
Ben Affleck as Batman in Zack Snyder’s Justice LeagueImage courtesy of Warner Bros. / DC
Ben Affleck’s impressive track record from behind the camera, helming acclaimed flicks like The Town and the Best Picture Oscar-winning Argo, had audiences excited for his solo Batman movie, which he was also set to lead. Unfortunately, it never happened, due to his dropping out of the director’s position before the DCEU, the continuity in which his Bruce Wayne exists was ultimately dismantled.
Even admirers of James Gunn’s new DCU still can’t help but feel curious about how Affleck’s Batman movie, which is just one reason why the actor and filmmaker still deserves the opportunity to show what he could have delivered, even if he is not the star. Not to mention, a Batman movie directed by someone with experience in the cape and cowl sounds like a recipe for success.
The cover to Batman issue #1 depicts Bruce Wayne as Batman and Dick Grayson as Robin swinging through Gotham City.
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