After months of speculation, anticipation, and plenty of rumors, it seems that Robert Pattinson has been confirmed to play the starring role in Matt Reeves’ The Batman. Needless to say, the official announcement has been met with middling reception – longtime DC devotees took to Twitter to share their reactions, which seem to be an equal mix of disappointment, skepticism, and tentative faith.
For better or worse, it seems some fans of the Caped Crusader are basing their feelings on Pattinson’s performance in the oft-maligned Twilight series, where he played heartthrob vampire Edward Cullen, who fell for Kristen Stewart’s Bella Swan. Personally, a few of us here at We Got This Covered aren’t too fond of that sort of comparison, especially since Robert has proven himself to be a more than capable actor, as evidenced by his roles in The Lost City of Z and the Safdie Brothers’ Good Time.
Thankfully, Matt Reeves and Warner Bros. were able to look past Pattinson’s older films, and during the casting process, the decision came down to Robert and Nicholas Hoult, best known for his roles in The Favourite, Mad Max: Fury Road and Tolkien.
As reported by Collider, the two traveled to Burbank, California a couple of weeks back to test for the part. As has become a tradition during the screening process, both Hoult and Pattinson donned a Batsuit to see how well they would embody the character. After a few days of deliberation, the Warner Bros. execs made their decision and called up both actors to deliver the verdict. Obviously, Robert won out.
“Did they embody the character? How did their eyes look and act? Is there a specialness to them? Those were the questions Reeves and the studio wanted answered. (Reeves) wanted very specific things,” says one insider. “He knew what he was looking for.”
That being said, based on his recent trajectory, Nicholas Hoult still has a successful career ahead of him, even if he won’t be playing the Caped Crusader anytime soon. When it comes to Pattinson’s performance, we have a long wait to endure – The Batman is scheduled to hit theaters on June 25th, 2021 – but we’re excited to see what he brings to the table. Until then, you can expect plenty more updates and reveals as additional details come to light.