If one thing’s clear, it’s that moviegoers have a lot of strong opinions and heated discussions over their favorite (or in some cases, least favorite) Batman actors. As we recently reported, Robert Pattinson – who often gets a bad rap for his role in the oft-panned Twilight film series – was confirmed to be playing the Caped Crusader in Matt Reeves’ upcoming adaptation. When news of this casting decision broke, a vocal minority of DC’s fanbase took to Twitter to share their thoughts, which seemed to consist of an equal mix of skepticism, hope, and downright disappointment.
However, the reaction was not all bad. In an effort to shed some light on that matter, The Hollywood Reporter teamed up with Morning Consult to conduct a new poll, which offered some insight into what American moviegoers thought about the myriad of actors who have, at one point or another, donned the cowl.
The two surveyed over 2,000 adults, and the results were rather interesting. When it comes to Robert Pattinson, it seems younger fans approved of him over Nicholas Hoult, who was reported to be the other contender for the coveted role. Better yet though are the results that determine America’s favorite Batman – as seen below:
Christian Bale and Michael Keaton are the most favorably viewed actors who've portrayed Batman, a new @THR/@MorningConsult poll finds https://t.co/bKuMxwdvtK pic.twitter.com/5ZRnwrvpXY
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) June 18, 2019
Apparently, when asked: “Do you have a favorable or unfavorable impression of the following actor’s portrayal of Batman?” 39 percent of respondents sided in favor of Christian Bale, who donned the cowl for Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy. Nipping at his heels is Michael Keaton, who came in at 38 percent.
On the other end of the spectrum, George Clooney, Ben Affleck and Val Kilmer didn’t fare as well, with the three pegged at 19, 18, and 17 percent, respectively. For those scratching their heads, it’s worth noting the totals surpass 100 percent. The 2,201 adults surveyed were asked which actors left a favorable impression – only responses of “very favorable” counted for the final results.
We can’t say we’re surprised with how things shook out here – after all, Christopher Nolan’s Batman films are arguably the best to date, and Christian Bale did an excellent job across all three movies. Still, we’re interested to see how Robert Pattinson fares and we’d love to know what you think as well.
Tell us, do you prefer a different actor? Drop a line in the comments section below!
