Who Matt Reeves will cast in his eagerly anticipated Batman movie has been the subject of much speculation after it was confirmed that Ben Affleck would not be reprising his role in the DC film. A couple weeks back we seemed to find out the answer when news broke that Robert Pattinson had been cast. That certainty was short-lived though as the Twilight actor's casting was not a done deal and it seemed that the role was a two-horse race between Robert Pattinson and Nicholas Hoult. Now it seems that race has been won.
According to Deadline, Warner Bros. has approved Robert Pattinson to become the star of Matt Reeves' The Batman. Although he was considered the front runner and Matt Reeves' preference, the stamp of approval from the studio basically cements Robert Pattinson as the choice to lead a series of films based on the Dark Knight, the first of which will begin filming later this year (or possibly early 2020).
It is important to note that until the studio issues a press release, which could be happening soon, this casting isn’t 100% final. Negotiations should be getting underway soon now that Robert Pattinson is Warner Bros.’ choice. The deal will have to include options for at least two more films for a potential trilogy.
Batman is unequivocally DC’s most popular character, and Matt Reeves’ possible Batman trilogy will be a huge part of Warner Bros.’ franchise. So the studio had to be sure that the casting was right because a lot is riding on it. What's more, the powers that be were apparently torn as to who would next don the cowl between Robert Pattinson and Nicholas Hoult.
Just yesterday we heard that the two actors would be screen testing for the role. Apparently that happened and once Warner Bros. had the two actors on tape, a meeting took place where a final decision was made. Although the studio was impressed with Nicholas Hoult, who is no stranger to comic book movies having starred in the X-Men movies including the upcoming Dark Phoenix, the decision was reportedly made to go with Robert Pattinson.
Matt Reeves’ The Batman will seemingly be entirely divorced from Ben Affleck’s Batman seen in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League. The new film will track Bruce Wayne’s formative years as the Caped Crusader so given that fact and that this is hoped for and expected to be a multi-film series, Warner Bros. needed an actor in his early 30s.
Although he is best known for playing Edward Cullen in the Twilight movies, Robert Pattinson is much more than a sparkly vampire and has proven as much in smaller films like Cosmopolis, Good Time and The Rover. In those films or in his audition, Matt Reeves’ and Warner Bros. clearly saw something in Robert Pattinson that makes him the pick to lead their crown jewel franchise.
Robert Pattinson has been on quite the role career-wise recently and his casting as Batman is the cherry on top. He stars opposite Willem Dafoe in Robert Eggers’ The Lighthouse, which was one of the most heralded films at the Cannes Film Festival this year. Robert Pattinson is also part of the brilliant cast for Christopher Nolan’s mysterious next film Tenet.
We’ll keep you updated as we hear more about this casting, but it looks like the first major step to seeing Batman on the big screen has been taken. The Batman arrives in theaters on June 25, 2021. That’s a long way off though, so check out our 2019 Release Schedule to see what you can look forward to this year.
