Everyone who’s been talking about Matt Reeves’ The Batman recently has been talking about the casting. The internet has been running on all cylinders ever since Warner Brothers announced that Twilight star Robert Pattinson was confirmed to play the next Dark Knight, and the conversation’s showing no signs of slowing down.
The most recent fuel to the fire has been supplied by The Hollywood Reporter, who’s provided more insight on what went into the decision, as well as the screening test between Pattinson and Tolkien actor Nicholas Hoult.
According to the recent report, when Reeves was hired to write and direct the new film in 2017, his plan throughout the creative process always included a 30-year-old Bruce Wayne. AKA not Batman V Superman and Justice League lead Ben Affleck.
“Reeves, who was hired to write and direct a new Batman movie in February 2017, was envisioning actors while penning the script, according to sources familiar with the filmmaker’s thinking. It helped that this new Batman needed to conform to a defined age bracket. He is written as around 30 years old, and the story is neither another rehashing of his origin nor the tale of a seasoned crimefighter ruling Gotham City. He is Bruce Wayne still trying to find his footing on his way to becoming the genius detective.”
Though this fact had ruled Affleck out over two years ago, the actor/director and Warner Bros. denied the rumored recasting for an incredibly long time. That is, until Batfleck was officially announced as deceased last October.
As for Reeves’ new film, there’s still a whole lot under wraps. We know Pattinson will be playing a much younger Caped Crusader and the plot’s set in the 1990s. But it’s also looking to be quite the bout with several villains, including the Penguin, Catwoman, the Riddler, and most recently, Two-Face.
And though nothing’s confirmed yet in terms of casting for those roles, the names of Vanessa Hudgens, Josh Gad, Sebastian Stan, Theo Rossi and Toby Kebbell have all been tossed around the project. Personally, I’m excited that Ralph Fiennes has expressed interest in the film, but we’ll have to wait and see what all happens once The Batman hits theaters on June 25th, 2021.