A Reel Opinion: The New Batman

There was a time when the most coveted lead role for a male actor was that of secret agent James Bond. Any news of a new 007 would instantly stop the presses and fire up a debate over the decision. Times have changed, and while a new Bond would certainly make headlines, these days the movies revolve around superheroes, and any casting news for caped crusaders, especially for one of the most popular ones of all time, is sure to stop those presses cold. 

Such news came just this week, when several media outlets reported that Robert Pattinson is in final talks to take over the role of Batman and Bruce Wayne, with his first appearance coming in the new Batman film, titled THE BATMAN. Pattinson would be the sixth actor to step under the cowl, and he takes over the role from Ben Affleck, who played the character in two feature films and one cameo from 2016-2017. Pattinson began his career as a teenage heartthrob when he appeared as the charming yet doomed Cedric Diggory in HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE in 2005. He then exploded into fame when he landed a lead role in the vampire series TWILIGHT which covered five films from 2008-2012. 

And it is because of his role in TWILIGHT that has Bat-fans in an uproar. Those sparkly vampire films have a great following, but they are also hated…and fans of the Bat want him nowhere near their beloved Batcave. TWILIGHT has been hung around Pattinson’s neck like an albatross, and it’s unfair as he has proven himself to be a very capable actor in recent years. He has made a new career on the indie and arthouse circuits, earning praise for his work in WATER FOR ELEPHANTS (2011), COSMOPOLIS (2012), THE ROVER (2014), THE LOST CITY OF Z (2016), and GOOD TIME (2017)…for which he was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award. 

Pattinson’s acting is more-than up to the challenge. Besides the reactions coming from the un-educated and un-informed Bat-fans, another gripe against him is that he seems too young with a small stature. But the tale of the tape says different. Pattinson would actually be the second-youngest Batman at the time of his casting, and the second tallest: 

On paper Pattinson seems like he’d be fine. Most of us have an image of Bruce Wayne/Batman as older and rugged man; weary from the world and scarred from battle. It’s also fair to point out that casting is done on the basis of the vision for the character in a given movie, and Pattinson apparently fits the image they want. He’s capable, but this casting still feels just short of the home run that the troubled production of THE BATMAN really needed. This film was announced way back in 2015, with Affleck writing, directing, and starring. Affleck is now gone, having been replaced by Matt Reeves (DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES), in the directors chair. The films based on the DC Comics library of heroes have been all over the place in terms of quality, and they’ve had a fair share of casting disasters; Jessie Eisenberg as Lex Luthor and Jared Leto as Joker…to name a few. 

This is certainly not the first time a new Batman announcement was met with skepticism; Michael Keaton way back in 1989 heard the same thing, and today he is considered by many to be the definitive version. However, sometimes fans can be right; no one was thrilled about George Clooney taking over the role in 1997, and they were dead-right to be so. Reports say that Pattinson won the role over actors Armie Hammer (CALL ME BY YOUR NAME), and Nicholas Hoult (X-MEN, TOLKIEN). Fine actors, but this Blogger wishes that studios would take a chance on an unknown; like they did for Henry Cavill as Superman and Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, with both of them reaching excellence in their roles. 

With THE BATMAN not slated for release until 2021, a lot can change between now and then. But for now, Robert Pattinson owns the most coveted role in Hollywood.