Matt Reeves was convinced that Robert Pattinson wouldn’t want to play Bruce Wayne in The Batman after making Tenet with Christopher Nolan. Why? Well, it’s not just because Nolan made what’s arguably the best Batman movie ever, instead, he was more worried about Pattinson not wanting to do another blockbuster.
“I was aware that [Pattinson] was doing Tenet, and I thought that was really cool. In fact, I was a little; let me tell you how it really affected me,” Reeves told the ReelBlend Podcast. “I wrote the story, I wrote this script with Rob in mind. I wanted him to be my Batman. I had no idea if he was gonna be Batman, and when it was announced that he was cast by [Nolan] in Tenet, I was devastated.”
Reeves became convinced Pattinson was going to say no to Batman. “He’d been doing all of these art films and he’d been working with all these interesting filmmakers,” he continued. “If he’s gonna do a blockbuster, will it be Batman, and would he do more than one? When he’s doing a blockbuster with one of the definitive Batman filmmakers, I thought, ‘Okay, so there goes that. He’s not gonna want to be Batman.'”
Of course, Reeves was wrong, and Pattinson did agree to don the cape and cowl for the action movie. It’s a good thing he did as well, because Pattinson is sensational in the thriller movie and easily one of the best Batman actors we’ve ever had (he’s just no Michael Keaton).
Judging by the box office, we’re not the only people to like Pattinson’s style. The Batman enjoyed the biggest opening weekend for a film in 2022, bringing in an eye-watering $258 million at the global box office.
The Batman is in cinemas now.