Now 78, French auteur Claire Denis shows no signs of slowing down, as she has two new projects on the way, including “The Fence,” which is in active development. But The Film Stage reports (via a new interview with Screen Slate), Denis made an aside about the most unlikely movie fans would expect of her: a superhero movie. And not just any superhero, but Batman, recently played by her “High Life” leading man Robert Pattinson.
READ MORE: Claire Denis’ Next Film is The African-Set ‘The Fence’ & Has No Plans To Retire
In the interview, Denis brought up the prospect of directing a “Batman” film all on her own. Of course, if she were ever to helm a project like that, it wouldn’t be conventional “Batman” film in terms of action set-pieces, a huge crew, and so forth. No, Denis’ “Batman” would be something else entirely.
“I watched “The Batman” because Robert Pattinson is a friend,” Denis told Screen Slate. “Of course, it’s a lot, a lot, a lot of post-production. A crew of 300. But the work inside, the way Robert thinks about Batman—I like the way he constructed his Batman. It’s the rest of it—the effects, the crowds, the post-production, it’s like two films in one. There’s the Batman story, which is very intimate and delicate, and then the rest.” Laughing, Denis confirmed that her simple condition on making a “Batman” film: “I would do a “Batman” if I could do it without the rest.”
An “intimate and delicate” “Batman” film by Claire Denis? Imagine the possibilities there. Elliptical editing, Agnés Godard teaming up with Denis again to recreate their singular visual chemistry, a mystery for the World’s Greatest Detective to solve told in the most oblique fashion possible. For a particular cinephile, that all sound splendid (albeit highly unlikely).
But don’t take Denis’ comments on Hollywood’s intricate post-production process as a condemnation; they’re not. “Hollywood was a school, though,” continued the director. “Hollywood is full of little secrets and details. I remember so many Hollywood movies. We learned so much from Hollywood. For me it’s very precious. We learn, of course, from Japan, from Europe, too. But my point is I don’t reject Hollywood. I think some of the most rebellious film directors were working within Hollywood—and these were my heroes.” Denis isn’t wrong there. Several classic (and more contemporary) Hollywood directors influenced Denis and her French comrades: Samuel Fuller and Orson Welles, among others.
But let’s put aside pipe dreams of a Claire Denis superhero movie and focus on what’s up with her lately. A restoration of her 1992 film “No Fear, No Die” is in theaters now, with “The Fence” something that will head into production soon …eventually. Meanwhile, Pattinson will suit up as Batman again for Matt Reeves’ 2026 sequel early next year. The actor thankfully will keep one foot in the art-film world, with upcoming projects like Lynne Ramsay‘s “Die, My Love” with Jennifer Lawrence on the way. But as for Denis doing a highly personal take on the film world’s most popular current genre in the superhero film? Don’t count it (although let’s be real: it’d blow most superhero movies out of the water).