Every Movie That Inspired ‘The Batman’

The Batman is the 16th Batman movie (or serial) released in theaters since the 1940s. This latest film, directed by Matt Reeves, obviously draws inspiration from some of the characters, plots, and concepts of its 15 predecessors. It wouldn’t exist without the work of filmmakers like Tim Burton and Christopher Nolan. But Reeves took ideas, images, and themes from way more than just the history of Batman movies and comics.

In our latest video on The Batman, we break down all the cinematic inspirations for the film that you might not have realized. Did you know the car chase came from The French Connection, and the Batmobile jumping through fire came from Stephen King’s Christine? How well do you know the filmographies of Clint Eastwood and Brian De Palma? Have you spotted the connections between the Penguin and The Godfather? We did — and we lay them all out, and a whole lot more, in the video below:

If you liked that video all of the older movies that inspired The Batman, check out more of our videos below, including why The Dark Knight Rises is an underrated masterpiece, a diagnosis of Robert Pattison’s Batman by a professional psychologist, and what to expect from The Batman 2. Plus, there’s tons more over at ScreenCrush’s YouTube channel. Be sure to subscribe to catch all our future episodes. The Batman is now playing exclusively in theaters. You can also watch the just-released deleted scene from the film featuring Barry Keoghan’s version of the Joker right here.