As Sarah just wrote in the previous post, Robert Pattinson as Batman was big breaking news last night on social media. It’s probably the first time he’s trended like this since Twilight – and this is something to be mindful of, because after the pop culture craze that was Twilight, RP deliberately avoided professional spectacle, choosing offbeat roles in smaller movies in part to prove that he could do more than make girls and their moms fall in love with him but also because he needed a break from the heat.
Twilight heat, however, is nothing compared to Batman heat – it’s not even officially official yet and already, look at this heat. (By the way, while initial reports had it that it was a done deal that Robert is the new Bruce Wayne, Deadline is saying it’s actually a shortlist with two candidates: RP and Nicholas Hoult, which is kind of funny to me because Rob played a vampire with feelings in Twilight and Nicholas Hoult played a zombie with feelings in Warm Bodies opposite Teresa Palmer who’s often called a Kristen Stewart lookalike.)
Anyway, rumours that Robert was in the running as The Batman first circulated back in February and, as I wrote at the time, I can see it, the moody broodiness. As I also wrote at the time though, the physicality isn’t quite there – yet. But that’s just going to be one of the narratives when this movie comes out in 2021: Robert Pattinson’s physical transformation! I’m thinking they’re aiming for Brad Pitt’s Tyler Durden body. And I wonder if they might be vibing for a Batman along the lines of Robert Downey Jr’s Sherlock Holmes in the way that the Sherlock that was presented in the books was a gentleman, much more refined than the gritty, dirty version of Sherlock that RDJ and Guy Ritchie reimagined. I’m not saying we’re in for Bruce Wayne Fight Club, my point is that they tweaked Sherlock for RDJ from the source material and, if we’re going to make Batman fresh again, that kind of tweak for Bruce Wayne might be interesting.
Remember, this is our first millennial Batman. This is avocado toast Batman. Maybe that’s the tweak. What is the version of Bruce Wayne/Batman who grew up in the age of the internet?
As for Robert Pattinson, the actor, and this career move and why now, considering it can’t be for the money, he has all kinds of Twilight money, and he was doing very well in independent films, delivering one impressive performance after the other. Probably Matt Reeves, the director, has a lot to do with it. Rob has made many of his decisions the last few years on his chemistry with directors and if he really is to be The Batman, it’s likely that he and Matt Reeves have already formed a promising connection. Also, there’s the flex.
He’s proved that he could move beyond Edward Cullen in roles in Good Time, The Rover, and more. To be able to pivot around again to a big blockbuster, to go from Vampire to Bat, is a big swing. Robert Pattinson is 33 and if he really is Batman, he’ll be 35 when the movie comes out, which is actually older than Christian Bale was when Batman Begins was released. If we’re using Christian Bale as the model, he was Batman three times, and in between his second and his third, he won an Oscar (for The Fighter). I can’t imagine that that didn’t come up as Robert and his management were considering this move.
The last time I wrote about Robert Pattinson and the Batman rumours was last month, when he was promoting High Life, comparing him to Jake Gyllenhaal. Jake too is doing a superhero movie but he’s expected to be the villain in Spider-Man: Far From Home. My point about this though is that it’s becoming derivative to be the villain now, all the “serious” actors have been villains. Maybe the hero is becoming trendy again – and, sh-t disturbing question as this is, do we have Marvel to thank for that?
Finally, an RP romance update – he celebrated his birthday the other night and was seen at Chateau Marmont with Suki Waterhouse, photos below.
