Matt Reeves Wrote ‘The Batman’ With Robert Pattinson In Mind For The Hero

While this may seem crazy to think about in 2022, back in 2017, DC superhero film fans were still convinced Matt Reeves was brought on to direct a new ‘Batman’ film starring Ben Affleck. The reports said that Ben Affleck stepped aside as director of his ‘Batman’ film and Reeves was going to be the director of whatever Affleck was working on. That carried on for months until it was finally revealed that Reeves was just going to reboot the character and start from scratch. But apparently, when you hear Matt Reeves talk about the project, Affleck was never in contention for a starring role. It was always going to be a new actor. In fact, Reeves always wanted Robert Pattinson.

Speaking to MovieMaker, Matt Reeves and various people involved with “The Batman” talked about the upcoming superhero film. And the filmmaker shed some light on how Robert Pattinson got involved. It seems as if it was a mixture of good luck and a bit of premonition on Reeves’ part. 

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It seemed to start with Reeves writing the script. Apparently, the filmmaker always had Pattinson in mind for the lead, even though the actor seemed like the most unlikely option given his film choices in recent years.

“In writing, from the beginning, I was imagining the character in my head. And I started watching movies of actors in the age range,” said Reeves. “And [Pattinson] just really kind of captivated me, and I started writing for him at a certain point. I had no idea if he ever would want to be in the movie.”

Why does he feel like Pattinson is the perfect Bruce Wayne/Batman? Well, the version that the filmmaker is writing seems to fit in the sweet spot of characters that the actor is able to play oh so well.

“Batman is an amazing myth that has endured for over 80 years,” explained Reeves. “And it’s because of that crazy mix. There’s a part of it that is just simply cool, right? He looks cool. He’s got a cool car. He’s got all the stuff. He’s like James Bond, I guess, in a certain way, right? But there’s also something very relatable to the pain that he’s gone through.”

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He added, “And so that, for me, was how you ground it — those aspects are part of the story. And this story emphasizes those things. This story pulls those things out. So that’s why I was so excited about Robert Pattinson because he’s such a wonderful actor. And I knew that he would be able to go on that search with me for the depth and complexity of this character. I mean, I knew he wasn’t going to play him straight ahead.”

So, for those thinking that Pattinson is an odd choice for Batman, you’re probably right. And that’s exactly why he works for Reeves. We’ll just have to see if everything comes together and works as the filmmaker intends, when “The Batman” hits theaters on March 4.