The Batman is one of the most exciting comic book projects in the works right now. The film is set to be helmed by the brilliant Matt Reeves, the man behind Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and War For the Planet of the Apes. Given what Reeves did with Caesar in the Apes franchise, you can bet that The Batman is going to be a highly character-driven picture. Not only that, Reeves has mentioned in the past that his film will be a neo-noir that focuses on the Caped Crusader as the world’s greatest detective. All of that sounds great, but what’s also intriguing is the casting of Robert Pattinson as The Dark Knight. Post-Twilight, Pattinson has built a resume — Good Time, The Rover, Lost City of Z, High Life, Cosmopolis — that proves that he’s one of the best actors of his generation. I think he’s a perfect fit to play Bruce Wayne/Batman.
Funnily enough, Pattinson says he doesn’t think Batman is a superhero. In an interview with The New York Times, Pattinson said that we should be sceptical of any actor who only wants to play the good guy all the time. In response to that, Pattinson was then asked why he decided to play Batman, who is arguably the most iconic superhero of all time. Pattinson said:
“Batman’s not a hero, though. He’s a complicated character. I don’t think I could ever play a real hero — there’s always got to be something a little bit wrong. I think it’s because one of my eyes is smaller than the other one.”
Robert Pattinson does make sense here. While Batman technically falls under the category of ‘superhero’, he isn’t squeaky clean the same way Superman, Wonder Woman and Shazam are. Batman is a tortured soul who operates outside the law. He’s a violent vigilante that gets the job done when police officers with stricter codes of conduct can’t. That’s what makes Batman such an alluring character.
Pattinson was then asked what about Batman excites him. He said:
“I love the director, Matt Reeves, and it’s a dope character. His [Batman’s] morality is a little bit off. 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.”
The Batman starring Robert Pattinson, Zoe Kravitz [Catwoman], Jeffrey Wright [Jim Gordon] and Paul Dano [Riddler] will begin production at the end of this year and will hit the big screen in the summer of 2021.
