Matt Reeves is known for helming Robert Pattinson’s The Batman, but fans would definitely be surprised to know that Godzilla kick-started his career. The famous Japanese monster franchise inspired one of his old directorial projects, and from there he managed to build his portfolio.
Like many other filmmakers, Reeves needed to find that one movie that would push his career forward, and that was 2008’s Cloverfield. The found footage style of the movie was quite a novel idea during the time it was released, which explains its massive success.
Godzilla-Inspired Cloverfield Started Matt Reeves’ Directing Career
Speaking at the San Diego Comic-Con panel in 2007 via YouTube, director J.J. Abrams explained how he came up with the idea of a modern monster movie that would be different from the likes of King Kong and Godzilla.
“I was in Japan with my son and all he wanted to do was go to toy stores. We went to all these stores, and there were still all these Godzillas everywhere, and I thought, we need our own monster. We need a monster movie, and I thought, not like King Kong. I love King Kong. King Kong is adorable. And Godzilla is a charming monster. We love Godzilla. But I wanted something that was just insane and intense.”
Abrams pitched the concept to Paramount Pictures, and he became the producer. He was granted the freedom to choose his writer and director. He chose Drew Goddard despite having no screenwriting experience, and he hired Matt Reeves whom he worked with in Felicity. The Future Shock director told SYFY:
“When I first got involved, there was no script, and I was saying to J.J., ‘Well, why don’t I wait until Drew’s done with the script?’ And he was like, ‘Well, you can’t.’ And I said, ‘Why?’ And he said, ‘Because we’re shooting in 12 weeks, and that’s just how this is happening.’ And I was like, ‘Oh, my God!’ I had never done a VFX movie, I’d never done a genre thing like this — a giant monster movie.”
Cloverfield grossed over $172 million worldwide against a budget of $30 million. It has a 78% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and has since produced two more sequels. Reeves did not return to direct the other installments, but he was open to the possibility of helming another film.
Matt Reeves Gears Up For Upcoming The Batman Sequel
Matt Reeves is currently busy working on Robert Pattinson’s The Batman Part II, one of the most highly anticipated sequels from Warner Bros. As per World of Reel, production for the film will commence in August, and the director was given a deadline to submit the script to James Gunn in February.
There are scarce details yet as to the storyline of the sequel, though Robert Pattinson is set to reprise his role as the titular Dark Knight. The outlet also reported that Zoë Kravitz, Andy Serkis, Jeffrey Wright, Colin Farrell, and Barry Keoghan are expected to return.
The Batman (2022) grossed over $772 million worldwide and it also received generally positive reviews from critics and fans. From his humble days helming a monster movie, Reeves has now created a colossal franchise that cemented his name as one of the most in-demand filmmakers of today.
