Probably the last time we saw the Batmobile resemble something like a normal car was in the 60s with Adam West’s Batman; and though we’ve gotten different iterations of the fictional vehicle over the decades, next year’s The Batman will be giving us what looks to be an ‘average’ car. What’s interesting is, it’s actually horror master Stephen King who has inspired this design.
Talking to Empire (via BloodyDisgusting), director Matt Reeves reveals that it was Stephen King’s Christine that inspired the new Batmobile. Reeves says:
“[The Batmobile] has to make an appearance out of the shadows to intimidate, so I thought of it almost like Stephen King’s ‘Christine.’ I liked the idea of the car itself as a horror figure, making an animalistic appearance to really scare the hell out of the people Batman’s pursuing.”
If you aren’t familiar with Christine, it’s a story from Stephen King about a car—specifically a ’58 Plymouth Fury—possessed by an evil spirit that takes control of its owner. The book came out in 1983, the same year as the movie directed by John Carpenter.
While I always thought that the larger batmobiles were terrifying enough, I’m willing to give Reeves a chance when it comes to this smaller, scrappy batmobile. I like the thought of the car being its own monster, and with Pattinson’s Batman already being described as pretty unhinged, I want to see what kind of car he drives around, scaring the criminals of Gotham.
Catch The Batman when it hits theaters on March 04, 2022.
