Batman is an iconic character, and as such, the actors playing him often undergo mass scrutiny from DC and action movie fans alike. So you can imagine the backlash when the vampire heartthrob from Twilight, Robert Pattinson, was cast as Bruce Wayne in Matt Reeves’ latest thriller movie, The Batman.
Pattinson was officially cast as Gotham’s next Caped Crusader on May 31, 2019. However, following the announcement, the internet went into an uproar, and a Change.org petition was even made calling on Reeves to revert his decision. Speaking with the LA Times, Pattinson discussed the amount of pushback to his initial casting, and seemingly has been able to take his online sceptics words in stride. “I was actually mocked less than I usually am,” he joked. “I was quite shocked. Only 70% negative? A-plus!”
However, it looks like fans will soon be eating their words as The Batman currently holds a whopping rating of 85% on Rotten Tomatoes. Similarly, critics have praised Pattinson for his performance as the hero, with our own Tom Percival writing: “There’s an argument to be made that Pattinson’s take on Batman is the darkest Dark Knight we’ve ever seen on the big screen.”
We would be willing to bet that the 70% negative rating quickly disappears as more people visit their local cinema. But Pattinson seems to understand where all of this scepticism came from. The star shared how he would never have imagined himself in a superhero movie in the past.
“Even like five years ago, I was the last person I would think would be cast as Batman,” Pattinson explained. “I’m never normally in consideration for superhero parts at all. Usually [in those roles], you’re either a total unknown or someone who just, I don’t know, seems more obvious. I don’t understand what it was about Batman, but I got really fixated on it and kept pushing my agent about it.”
Luckily Pattinson has proven himself and the online naysayers wrong and has unquestionably shown his keep. The actor definitely now can stand confidently with the best of the best Batman actors in DC cinematic history.
You can see Pattison, or should we say Battison, for yourself as The Batman is out in theatres now.