Matt Reeves’ The Batman, the standalone Caped Crusader film that he took over from Ben Affleck, is moving forward by casting its Bruce Wayne. According to Variety, Twilight star Robert Pattinson is in negotiations to play the billionaire-turned-vigilante-thanks-to-trauma-and-bats.
Reeves, whose directing credits include Cloverfield, Let Me In, and War for the Planet of the Apes, will write and direct The Batman. He took over the project from Affleck in 2017, around the release of Justice League, at which point he and Affleck began discussing whether the actor would return for the solo film. When he decided not to, that freed up Reeves to cast someone new; Variety reports that he is currently still polishing the script during the casting process. The outlet also notes that Pattinson, 33, would be the second-youngest Batman, after 31-year-old Christian Bale in 2005’s Batman Begins.
Pattinson, who most recently starred in Claire Denis’ science fiction film High Life, is working with none other than Christopher Nolan on an action blockbuster whose details are under wraps. That project includes Elizabeth Debicki (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2) and will be released by Warner Bros. in July 2020.
While the talks are reportedly close to a conclusion, Deadline reports that Tolkien star Nicholas Hoult is also on the shortlist to play Batman.
The Batman is currently set for a June 25, 2021 release date.
Photo: Gage Skidmore (CC BY-SA 2.0)
I guess I’ll be holding out for the next reboot then.
What’s the status of the DCEU anyways?
Am I the only person who is surprised that Robert Pattinson wants to willingly step back into mega blockbuster stardom?
@3 Is it really megastardom if it is in the DCEU?
I liked Pattinson in Water for elephants. Haven’t seen his most recent work, though.
What is the longest period of time we have gone without a Batman film? Any chance we could try and beat that record? Let the field lie fallow for a bit, maybe?
@6 From about 10,000BCE-1943 CE.
It’s a shame Twilight left such a stain on his career because Robert Pattinson is not a bad actor at all.
Nice to see I have yet another DC movie I can safely ignore.
Seems like a good time to remind fandom of what the reactions to Heath Ledger’s casting was back in the day.
Just saying.
@10 And if Heath had not died prior to its release, those opinions on him would be correct. The movie got one hell of a bump due to his death, and people praised his acting in it more as a lifetime achievement award. It is why you’ve seen a trend lately to be far more critical of his acting and the character in that movie. He’s been stone cold in the ground long enough that people can come back to it with fresh eyes and not shackled by the need to not speak ill of the dead.
Nothing against Pattinson, but whatever happened to casting unknowns or relative unknowns in prominent roles? People are going to be outraged either way with casting news, might as well give a break to a great actor few have heard of. You know, there was a time when Christopher Reeve was a nobody. And Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, and Carrie Fisher. How about that bald British guy in the new Star Trek series? Patrick something…
@11. People are entitled to their wrong opinions.