Robert Pattinson is definitely going to play Batman in a brand-new solo film about the legendary superhero. It’s crazy that after all this time, with dozens of actors being rumored for the job and speculation about a film that is still almost two years away from release, that we can finally say, with certainty, that Pattinson will be the man under the cowl. But according to a new interview with Variety, the actor was concerned that all the rumors and speculation (specifically tied to a leak that he was on the shortlist of actors vying for the role) was going to jeopardize his chances.
“When that [casting] thing leaked, I was fucking furious,” Pattinson said. “Everyone was so upset. Everyone was panicking from my team. I sort of thought that had blown up the whole thing.”
“I was sitting next to Christopher McQuarrie,” he added. “I’d never met him before. Oh, God! He’d seen me Googling myself for the past hour!”
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Of course, McQuarrie could understand Pattinson’s worry, and ultimately, the leak didn’t persuade the folks at WB to take him off the coveted shortlist. But getting on the shortlist and landing the role are two different things. And once Pattinson was announced as the new Batman, that’s when the Internet did its thing and went into overdrive to immediately criticize the choice and to say that the “Twilight Guy” shouldn’t be the Caped Crusader.
However, for Pattinson, the social media reaction wasn’t nearly as bad as he was preparing for.
“To be honest, it was less vitriolic than I was expecting,” Pattinson said. “It’s much more fun when you’re an underdog. There’s no expectation of you.”
The actor reveals that he, like pretty much all of Hollywood, had an informal meeting with Marvel Studios about working together. However, at the time, Pattinson didn’t have much interest to venture into the superhero world. So, why now? Well, because Batman is different.
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“It’s actually an interesting part,” he revealed. “I think it’s because he doesn’t have any superpowers.”
In fact, Pattinson was so excited by the idea of portraying Bruce Wayne, he was the one that instigated conversations with director Matt Reeves.
“I’d had Batman in my mind for a while,” Pattinson said. “It’s such an absurd thing to say. I sort of had an idea to do it, and I’d been prodding Matt. He didn’t accept any prods. I kept asking to meet him.”
And yes, he’s tried on the costume. And much like the way other superhero actors describe it, the act of testing out the new suit was “transformative” for the actor.
“I put [the costume] on. I remember saying to Matt, ‘It does feel quite transformative!’ He was like, ‘I would hope it does! You’re literally in the Batsuit,’” said Pattinson.
He added, “You do feel very powerful immediately. And it’s pretty astonishing, something that is incredibly difficult to get into, so the ritual of getting into it is pretty humiliating. You’ve got five people trying to shove you into something. Once you’ve got it on, it’s like, ‘Yeah, I feel strong, I feel tough, even though I had to have someone squeezing my butt cheeks into the legs.’”
So, now Pattinson is part of a world that he has never ventured into before. Despite his past as a shimmery vampire in the “Twilight” franchise, the world of superhero film, and ‘Batman’ in particular, is unlike anything else. So, we’ll have to wait and see how he handles the newfound scrutiny and 24/7 rumors and speculation. Hell, that’s probably more work than the actual film.
Matt Reeves’ “The Batman” is set to debut in theaters on June 21, 2021.