Robert Pattinson Announces An Upcoming Project With 'Christine' Director Antonio Campos

No career transitions have been as surprising — and as welcome — as the pivot of ‘Twilight‘ stars Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart from blockbuster jokes to the darlings of the independent film world. Both actors having shed their skin and proven themselves to be versatile and surprisingly deep performers, Pattinson in particular has shown a surprising affinity for secondary roles. His performance in “The Lost City of Z,” for example, buries the actor behind an enormous beard and features him onscreen for a surprisingly small percentage of the film’s long running time. For anyone else it would be an interesting change of pace. For Pattinson, it’s the work he finds interesting.

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In a conversation with Collider today, Pattinson discussed the new direction his career was taking, including his ability to work with new directors like Claire Denis and an unannounced director that, well, “I don’t know if I can say yet,” the actor admitted. After a little bit of prompting from the interviewer, however, Pattinson relented, admitting that he would be working with “Christine” director Antonio Campos. Here’s what Pattinson had to say about the project:

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The part with him is like — I mean, he actually wanted me to do a different part and I was like, “No this is the part.” It’s this absolutely degenerate [laughs].

As much as Pattinson could’ve been one of the great leading men of his generation, degenerates are where the actor makes his bread and butter. Movies like this past month’s “The Lost City of Z” or “The Rover” prove that Pattinson has a knack for playing likably-unlikable characters, and whatever Campos has in mind for the actor will likely build off this side of his career. And if you’re wondering when this film might be seen, remember that Campos has long been a favorite of the Cannes Film Festival — “Afterschool,” “The Last 15,” and “Buy It Now” were all nominated for various awards at the festival, so it wouldn’t surprise us to see this mystery project be a frontrunner for the 2018 lineup.