Promotion for The Batman is in full swing ahead of its March release. But it’s been a long road to get here, including a treacherous selection process leading up to Robert Pattinson’s casting as the Caped Crusader - news that wasn’t taken lightly by some.
The film’s director, Matt Reeves, mentioned his feeling towards Pattinson’s initial blowback. Speaking to Esquire, the filmmaker wasn’t surprised given that every actor who has been cast in the role has been reprimanded at the start.
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The Batman Director Reacts to Initial Backlash Over Robert Pattinson
Reeves highlighted how every Batman announcement usually came with some sort of trepidation.
There has been no actor, when his announcement that he was going to be playing Batman in one of the feature films was announced, that has not received a backlash.
Rather, the filmmaker noted how fans may have still associated Pattinson with his Twilight persona, leading to this disbelief:
The people who were excited, I knew it was because they knew Rob's work post-Twilight. The people who weren't excited, I knew it was because they didn't know Rob's work post-Twilight.
Pattinson catapulted to fame with the Twilight franchise, arguably the most well-known project of his career thus far. But since then, he’s made a name for himself in smaller films. From Good Time to The Lighthouse, Pattinson has been complimented for his formidable acting.
The backlash for every Batman actor spans back decades. Christian Bale wasn’t everyone’s first choice for The Dark Knight trilogy. While Ben Affleck’s response was particularly negative. Affleck has been vocal about the resistance he first received; his last appearance in the cowl has been set for this year.
Even Michael Keaton was considered miscast. When the Beetlejuice star was picked, long-time Batman producer, Michael Uslan previously assumed he was more of a “comedian” and would be unfit for the dark nature of the role.
More than 30 years after Tim Burton’s first entry, Keaton is set to reprise his role as Bruce Wayne in The Flash and Batgirl.
The Batman is due to release in March but there have been discussions of pushing the DC adaptation back due to rising COVID-19 cases. You can glimpse an intense scene featuring Pattinson and The Riddler, while the newly-released theme of the movie ranks up as one of the franchise’s best.