It’s no surprise that The Batman is one of the most highly-anticipated films of the year. Half of the fandom seems ready to welcome Robert Pattinson into the title role following Ben Affleck’s controversial portrayal of the Caped Crusader, while the other half isn’t as eager to give him a chance.
It wasn’t just Pattinson’s connection to Twilight that garnered backlash. It was the eyeliner in the original promo, which The Batman director Matt Reeves has since informed us was intentional. He said that this Batman’s tortured persona is directly inspired by late singer Kurt Cobain.
Fans of Nirvana will remember the black and white photos of Cobain from the ’90s, which are now inspiring Batman’s new look. Recent Korean promo art left fans wanting more of this Cobain-esque Batman, and thankfully Reeves quenched our thirst by sharing a photo of Total Film’s new magazine covers today on Twitter.
Pattinson, Zoë Kravitz, and the rest of the cast take front and center on the new covers. “Robert Pattinson reinvents the Dark Knight,” one of the covers reads, along with the caption, “Incredibly different, strange, and touching.” Masked on one cover and hovering in the background of the other is Paul Dano’s Riddler, who looks more menacing and mysterious than ever as a pair of hovering eyes on the edition reserved for Total Film’s exclusive subscribers.
The focus on Catwoman in the new film is greatly exciting fans on Twitter, who are already praising Kravitz’s portrayal of Selina Kyle. With potential relationship drama keeping fans on the edges of their seats, it will be interesting to see if and how Batman and Catwoman’s comic book relationship ties into the new film.
Whether you love or hate the new casting, theaters will be packed the week of March 4 when The Batman hits screens.