I think it's safe to say that Hollywood has officially flipped the Bat-Signal for Matt Reeves' THE BATMAN. In fact, just this week, it was revealed that both Zoë Kravitz (MAD MAX: FURY ROAD, X-MEN: FIRST CLASS) and Paul Dano (THERE WILL BE BLOOD, LOVE & MERCY) would be joining the cast as Catwoman and Riddler, respectively. Previously, it was announced that WESTWORLD's Jeffrey Wright would play Commissioner Gordon, with THE LOST CITY OF Z and THE LIGHTHOUSE actor Robert Pattinson set to don the cape and cowl as Batman. If you ask me, Reeves' take on the Dark Knight is certainly shaping up to be a star-studded affair, but will the pressure of becoming the World's Greatest Detective get the better of Pattinson? Will he rise to the occasion like Michael Keaton and Christian Bale before him, or will fan expectations poison his approach to the character like one of Poison Ivy's kisses of death and despair?
Personally, I think Pattinson is going to knock his Batman role out of the park. Granted, I've yet to see his performance, I've simply got a gut feeling is all. But enough about what I think. Let's take a look at what Pattinson recently said to the good people over at The New York Times, with regard to becoming the Terror That Flaps in the Night. Wait a minute, that's Darkwing Duck. I meant the Dark Knight. Yeah, that's the ticket.
"I love the director, Matt Reeves, and it’s a dope character. His morality is a little bit off," Pattinson told The New York Times during an in-depth interview regarding his recent role as Ephraim Winslow for director Robert Eggers' THE LIGHTHOUSE, as well as his upcoming Batman role. "He’s not the golden boy, unlike almost every other comic book character. There is a simplicity to his worldview, but where it sits is strange, which allows you to have more scope with the character." After a brief pause in his statement, Pattinson continued, "I just fear that when I say anything about “Batman,” people online are like, “What does this mean?” And I don’t know! I used to be very good at censoring myself, but I’ve said so many ridiculous things over the years, so I’m always curious when I’m promoting these movies how many times I can mess up. It feels like with every movie that comes out, there’s always one quote from me where it’s like, “How? What kind of out-of-body experience produced that screaming nonsense?”
Pattinson is no stranger to online abuse, of course. For years the actor has endured a relentless torrent of malicious comments from those who've failed to follow his career beyond his years of starring as Edward Cullen of the Twilight film franchise. People say things like "If his Batman sparkles, I'm out." Statements like this, while worth a mild chuckle, are ultimately useless when it comes to approaching his take on the iconic character with any level sincere interest. Everyone's got to put food on the table, and Pattinson's marble-skinned vampire days are long since passed.
When asked if he's worried about being raked over the coals for his Bat-portrayal, Pattinson told NYT, "Maybe I’m just used to abuse by now. At least I didn’t get death threats this time — that’s a plus! It’s funny that people are so very angry about “Twilight.” I never particularly understood it."
With Matt Reeves looking to explore a younger Bruce Wayne / Batman, there's no telling what surprises might emerge from the shadows. A bold, new Bat-era is poised to begin when THE BATMAN swoops into theaters, and we can't wait to find out what it's all about.