Director Matt Reeves hasn’t been shy about addressing the pressures attached to directingThe Batman. While the burden of reviving the relevancy of the Caped Crusader is high, nothing out weights the pressures upon the individual behind the mask. As Reeves points out, Robert Pattinson was selected to take up the mantel, but the casting decision saw its fair share of criticism.
The road traveled to bringThe Batmanto life was arduous for Reeves. During Affleck’s tenure, the character’s steady decline propelled the vigilante down a hole of ensemble films, which Reeves wanted to avoid. For Reeves, the masked vigilante needed to embody the title of “the world’s greatest detective” while equally harnessing the enslaving drive for revenge, fueled by hardship. Casting the role was not an easy endeavor, but Pattinson was selected in 2019 to don the mask, which shocked many familiar with theTwilightstar.
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“There has been no actor, when his announcement that he was going to be playing Batman in one of the feature films was announced, that has not received a backlash,” disclosed Reeves to Esquire. Many know Pattinson as Edward Cullen, the vampiric character the actor portrayed for years intheTwilightfranchise, alongside Kristen Stewart. The franchise saw mixed reviews, but the end results tainted the core members of the cast, who were relatively young at the time. “The people who were excited, I knew it was because they knew Rob’s work post-Twilight. The people who weren’t excited, I knew it was because they didn’t know Rob’s work post-Twilight,” expressed Reeves, standing up for his headlining star.
Pattinson’s casting failed to receive resounding applause at the time, but the seasoned actor has shown that he is more than capable of embodying the iconic character. The idea to cast Pattinson came to Reeves during the writing process forThe Batmanwhile watchingPattinson’s 2017 filmGood Time. “I thought, ‘Okay, he’s got an inner kind of rage that connects with this character and a dangerousness, and I can feel this desperation.’ And I became dead-set on it being Rob. And I had no idea if Rob had any interest! Because, of course, he had done all of these indie movies after he established himself inTwilight,” expressed Reeves. Pattinson received several award nominations and wins for his performance inGood Time, showing the actor’s range and ability to dive deep into a character when needed.
While some are hesitant,The Batmantrailers have shown a vicious edge to the character due to Pattinson’s performance. To say the casting decision was flawed because of Pattinson’sTwilightpast is misguided and blind to how the actor has reinvented himself over the years. The indie landscape is where Pattinson shined, not only inGood Timebut also inThe Lighthouse,alongside Willem Dafoe. His performance inThe Lighthouseearned him many award nominations and a few wins along the way. The role eventually led to his inclusion within Christopher Nolan’sTenet, where he shined and earned praise through nominations and public recognitions. Eventually the stigma ofTwilightwill fade, allowing Pattinson to be judged off his merits, and not a vampire frenzied teenage franchise of the past.
If done successfully,The Batmanwill become the thing Pattinsonis known for and how individuals will remember him until his next big undertaking. Reeves had a vision for the film, and while ironing out the details, he landed on Pattinson as the man to bring it all to life.The Batmantrailers present a profoundly compelling character that Pattinson executes well, but it will be interesting to see how deep he takes Bruce Wayne and how connected audiences feel to the emblematic vigilante.
