Everything We Know About Robert Pattinson’s The Batman

Another day, another person slipping into the batsuit. After much speculation as to whether Ben Affleck would continue portraying Bruce Wayne in the DC Extended Universe, it’s official that the torch will, indeed, be passed to the next actor. Affleck is out, and Robert Pattinson is in: The Twilight star will play Gotham City’s protector in an upcoming film titled The Batman.

There are no hard feelings between Affleck and Pattinson, despite earlier reports that claimed Affleck would direct, and star in The Batman. When the news of an Affleck-free Batman film dropped, the actor took to Twitter to express his excitement. 

It’s been a long time since Pattinson joined a major franchise (never forget, Twihards!) The actors more recent gigs include black-and-white horror flick The Lighthouse opposite William Dafoe, Shakespearean flick The King, and surreal Claire Denis sci-fi film High Life. Will Pattinson bring a certain indie sensibility to the next version of Batman? It would be one way to breathe new life into the Bat. 

Here’s what we know about The Batman. 

Reeves, who directed Cloverfield as well as Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and its sequel War of the Planet of the Apes, is writing and directing the new project. 

If you thought that Pattinson had to be wooed to slip into the batmobile, the answer was...definitely not. Pattinson revealed he was thirsting pretty hard for the part in an interview with Variety. 

“I’d had Batman in my mind for a while. 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,” he said. 

“It’s more Batman in his detective mode than we’ve seen in the films,” Reeves told The Hollywood Reporter. “The comics have a history of that. He’s supposed to be the world’s greatest detective, and that’s not necessarily been a part of what the movies have been. I’d love this to be one where when we go on that journey of tracking down criminals and trying to solve a crime.”

Pattinson scored the role over actor Nicholas Hoult, according to Variety. Pattinson learned he nabbed the part over the X-Men alum on the day he started working on Christopher Nolan film Tenet. Nolan previously made a Batman trilogy prior to the creation of the DCEU. 

“It’s so bizarre,” Pattinson told Variety of learning he got the part. “I was like, ‘What a coincidence this is happening. It’s absolutely crazy.”

Joker director Todd Phillips confirmed to Variety that Pattinson’s Batman won’t ever meet his gritty version of the infamous DC villain. It is still possible that a different version of the Joker could appear in The Batman, or at some other point in Pattinson’s time as the hero. 

Westworld’s Jeffrey Wright is reportedly in talks to portray Commissioner Gordon, an ally of Batman’s previously portrayed by Gary Oldman and J.K. Simmons. 

The Superbad actor reportedly has a part in the upcoming movie, though it’s unclear what role Hill will play opposite Pattinson’s Batman. He is reportedly being eyed to play a villain, and some fans suspect that Hill will join the cast as either the Penguin or the Riddler.