Why Robert Pattinson Is The New Batman | Screen Rant
Matt Reeves’ The Batman will be the debut of Robert Pattinson as the title character, but why is he the new Batman? The Caped Crusader is one of the most popular and beloved superheroes in comic book history, and as such, he and his universe have been adapted to other types of media for years, most notably film. Batman’s history on the big screen has been full of ups and downs, with successes like Tim Burton’s Batman Returns and Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight trilogy, and underperformances like Joel Schumacher’s Batman & Robin.
After Nolan’s trilogy came to an end with The Dark Knight Rises, Warner brought a new version of Batman in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, with Ben Affleck taking over the role. The underperformance of Justice League and other projects led Warner to change its plans for the DC Extended Universe and its multiverse, and it’s now bringing a new version of Batman separate from the DCEU in The Batman. Now with Robert Pattinson on the lead and with Matt Reeves as director, The Batman will follow a younger Bruce Wayne on his second year as vigilante and detective as he comes across some of his most famous enemies: Selina Kyle (Zoë Kravitz), Carmine Falcone (John Turturro), Oswald Cobblepot/Penguin (Colin Farrell), and The Riddler (Paul Dano), the latter serving as the main antagonist.
The Batman is one of the most anticipated movies of 2022, and after going through a couple of delays due to the coronavirus pandemic (including production having to stop for weeks for the same reason), it’s finally hitting theaters on March 4 and will be available to stream on HBO Max 45 days later. Through teasers and trailers, Warner has given the audience a taste of the story and tone of The Batman and proper looks at Pattinson in full costume, but a question remains for many: why is Robert Pattinson the new Batman?
Ben Affleck played Bruce Wayne/Batman in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Suicide Squad (in a cameo appearance), and Justice League, and as he was introduced as an already established vigilante, the DCEU didn’t explore his origin story, which was refreshing for the audience. Affleck’s Batman was well-received after Dawn of Justice came out, with critics praising his performance, especially how it balanced the intellectual and physical abilities of the character. However, this reception changed when Justice League came out, with his portrayal being called “inconsistent” mostly due to the change of directors, as Zack Snyder had to drop out and Joss Whedon took over. Affleck’s Batman was better received in Snyder’s cut of Justice League, but by then, a new Batman had taken over as the DC’s main version of the Dark Knight.
Affleck was originally set to direct and star in The Batman, but he stepped down as director in 2017, and as Warner began to re-evaluate its approach to superhero movies, Affleck’s The Batman was sidelined. In 2018, Affleck went through some personal issues that left him unable to reprise his role as Batman, and by then, Reeves had already taken over and planned to tell a different story with a younger Batman. In January 2019, Affleck confirmed he wasn’t going to star in The Batman anymore, citing his divorce, the messy production of Justice League, and lack of enjoyment in the role at that point as some of the reasons that led him to leave the project. In 2020, Affleck was announced to reprise his role as the DECU’s Batman in The Flash, and he later confirmed that this will be his last Batman movie.
Robert Pattinson’s first proper role in a movie was Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire in 2005, but he rose to fame three years later when he was cast as vampire Edward Cullen in Twilight. The success of Twilight led to a saga of four movies which further established Pattinson as a teen idol, but it also put a label on his name that took some time to shake off. The Twilight Saga is very popular but they aren’t the best movies out there, and the character of Edward Cullen is quite problematic. Pattinson was eventually able to get rid of the image of Edward Cullen and the weight of The Twilight Saga thanks to a variety of roles far from Edward Cullen. Pattinson’s most notable roles outside the Twilight series are Cronenberg’s Cosmopolis, the dystopian western The Rover, and the Safdie brothers’ Good Time.
Pattinson was cast as Batman in 2019, and Reeves later revealed that he considered Pattinson for the role after seeing his performance in Good Time and wrote the script with him in mind. Pattinson is a longtime Batman fan and he had ideas on how to bring a different and unique portrayal of the character and the relationship between Batman’s activities and Bruce’s commitments, and was interested in his lack of superpowers. Pattinson also shared he kept “obsessively checking up” on the role for months, and all that dedication eventually paid off.
Robert Pattinson’s Batman is already very different from past versions, and that’s a good thing. Unlike what Nolan did (and Burton too, as he went back to it through flashbacks), The Batman won’t tell the origin of the title character and will instead show him in his early years as vigilante and detective, which are phases and sides of Batman that haven’t been shown on the big screen before. This Batman is also more brutal, as he’s driven by revenge and doesn’t have much control when he's fighting, most likely because of how inexperienced he is. All these details match Pattinson’s style, who has proven to have the range to take on a variety of characters, but mostly obscure, layered, and even tormented ones, so he has the talent to bring a dark, brooding Batman to life, and especially one who is still defining who he is as Gotham’s vigilante and detective.
The future of Robert Pattinson’s Batman is a mystery, but the studio reportedly plans for The Batman to be the beginning of a new shared universe. The Batman already has two spinoff TV series in development – one following the Gotham City Police Department during Batman’s first year of crime-fighting, and one focused on Colin Farrell’s version of The Penguin. Pattinson has also shared he has ideas for developing the character in future movies, while producer Dylan Clark said The Batman will lay a foundation for sequels. In addition to that, key cast members of The Batman are reportedly signed on for future movies, though those plans might end up depending on how well-received The Batman is. While Robert Pattinson might have seemed like a strange choice to play Bruce Wayne/Batman, his previous work proves he has what it takes to bring a new and different version of the Dark Knight to the big screen, and his performance has the potential to expand The Batman into a new universe.