Where do you draw the line between Batman and Bruce Wayne? When does the moment come where the bat overtakes the man?

This is a question which the franchise has tackled on many occasions over the decades, and it seems that it’s something which Matt Reeves will be pursuing in the upcoming standalone DCEU Batman film. While speaking at the Television Critics Association press-tour about the forthcoming Mark-Paul Gosselaar-led TV show The Passage, on which he serves as an executive producer, Matt Reeves was asked by IndieWire about Batman’s identity and whether or not Batman or Bruce Wayne is the real person.

“Gosh, that’s a tough question. I think that it’s interesting, because one of the things that I’ve found interesting, just as we’re working on the story, is looking back at Jekyll and Hyde, and the idea of your shadow-self, and the idea of, we are all multiple things. It’s different aspects of who we are, and I think there are times when maybe the surface of Bruce is not really who he is, but that’s his disguise. There are times when Batman’s the disguise, but there are times when his true essence comes out, because by being veiled, a kind of instinctual side comes out that’s very pure.”

While several rumors have circulated about this film, mostly about its lead (Ben Affleck is reportedly still attached to the project), this has not stopped Reeves from commenting on what he can. He then added that his film will cover the question of “who is Bruce Wayne?” but it will not have an easy answer:

“It’s not an easy question to answer, in that I think that we are all made up of so many different aspects of ourselves that make the whole. I don’t know if you could ever reduce anyone to one part of what they express. That’s what’s fun about his character, is that there’s a very bright light that shines on his shadow side. The idea of all of that is incredibly exciting. It’s part of what makes it fun for me to work on.”

The Batman is currently set to start shooting in early 2019.