Around the middle of May, word arrived that Warner Bros. and The Batman‘s writer/director Matt Reeves had narrowed their choice for a possible Bruce Wayne down to two candidates: Robert Pattinson and Nicholas Hoult.
Now we know which way they went, as the world prepares to greet the age of R-Batz.
Playing Batman will be the Pattinson’s third time being included in a big movie franchise after playing Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter and Edward Cullen in the Twilight saga.
Top Warner Bros. Pictures, bottom Summit Entertainment.
According to Variety, Hoult was a strong contender for the role, but Pattinson won it by a chin.
Well, not a chin exactly, but you have to assume that Reeves has been impressed by his career in the last few years, where he’s chosen to go with interesting indie fare over blockbuster paychecks.
He is dipping his toe in bigger films again now though, as he’s part of the cast of Christopher Nolan’s latest, Tenet, which has just started shooting.
But again, both Nolan and Reeves have shown a capability to make big films that don’t forget character and story.
Batman fans have been reacting in various ways to the announcement. Below is a fan made poster imagining Pattinson in his new role.
The Batman promises a focus on a younger Caped Crusader, with a noir detective feel.
Other than that Pattinson was involved in acclaimed French director Claire Denis’s sci-fi mystery “High Life,” which earned him critical praise.
The indie selection of films continued with “The Lighthouse,” a dark fantasy horror film that was praised highly at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year.
Blast from the past: watch Robert Pattinson’s version of the Ice Bucket Challenge from 2014. Story continues after video.
Reeves will start pre-production on The Batman in the summer, though there has been no announcement about when it’ll be shooting.
Still, the clock is ticking down to a June 2021 release date. Tenet, meanwhile, will be out on 17 July next year.
James White
