For an actor, one of the most difficult aspects of starring in a high-profile superhero film is keeping the role a secret until it’s been officially announced. This is exactly what Robert Pattinson experienced when he was cast as the lead in Matt Reeves’ The Batman. While the actor was able to avoid spilling the beans too soon, he did run into a bit of challenge when it came to keeping his role a secret from his Tenet director – Christopher Nolan.
Robert Pattinson recently recalled that while filming Tenet, he had to keep his The Batman casting a secret from his co-workers. This became especially difficult when the actor had to step away to do a screen test. He devised a reasonable story to give to Christopher Nolan so that he could be excused, but the clever director saw right through his ruse:
It’s funny because Chris is so secretive about everything to do with his movies. And then I had to be really secretive about Batman stuff. So I had to lie to Chris about having to go for a screen test – I said I had a family emergency. And as soon as I said ‘it’s a family emergency’ he said: ‘You’re doing the Batman addition, aren’t you?’
Robert Pattinson’s comments to The Irish Times don’t come as a surprise in the slightest. Christopher Nolan is a master when it comes to keeping secrets, as most of his projects are shrouded in uncertainty during production. So Pattinson’s failed attempt to fool him just goes to show that a student just can’t easily pull the wool over the eyes of the teacher.
The mystery surrounding Tenet has been a serious testament to Christopher Nolan and the cast’s ability to keep secrets. So far, not much is known about the film, except for the fact that it will see John David Washington’s protagonist try to prevent World War III. And of course, it will also utilize the concept of time inversion in interesting ways.
This same level of secrecy also extends to Robert Pattinson’s work on The Batman. Very few plot details have been released thus far, but we do know that it will center on a younger Bruce Wayne and feature villains like Catwoman and Penguin. And like Tenet, we’re going to have to wait a bit longer for the film’s release due to the ongoing global health crisis.
Although Robert Pattinson was unable to hide his role as the Dark Knight from Christopher Nolan, he should still be applauded for not revealing anything from Tenet or The Batman to the general public. I can only imagine how hard it must be for him not to talk about either production. We may have plenty of questions about both projects, but it will certainly be better to go in clean and be surprised when we finally sit down to watch them in the theater.
Tenet is expected to be released in select theaters in the US on September 3, while The Batman is scheduled to open on October 1, 2021.
