His most famous role to date might be Edward Cullen in the Twilight franchise, but since he stopped playing the sparkling vampire Robert Pattinson has gone on to seriously impress in a variety of indie dramas, proving to be an actor known for his intense, complex performances. Director Matt Reeves must have known what he was doing casting him as his Batman, then, and sure enough, Pattison has made clear his desire to really push the part as far as it can go.
With the latest reboot of the Dark Knight undergoing filming in the UK, Pattinson spoke with Empire and touched on his ambition for his take on Bruce Wayne. Though the star noted that The Batman won’t be a completely wild R-rated effort, he still hopes to go as far as possible with the character, teasing the “crazy stuff” you can do with the hero.
“The only thing that’s more complicated is the rating. As soon as you make something an R-rated movie, you’re freed up to do so much stuff. In terms of the character itself, I want to push it as far as it possibly can go. And I think Matt Reeves does as well. You can do crazy stuff with that part.”
Pattinson has previously voiced his view that he doesn’t see Batman as a superhero, describing Bruce as possessing “something off” about him. Clearly, the actor isn’t interested in playing up the classically heroic qualities of the iconic vigilante and wants to focus on the different, perhaps darker and less wholesome, psychological facets that make him up. Some might bristle at his assertion that Bats isn’t a hero, but Pattison’s commitment to exploring the complexity of the character can only be a good thing.
Fortunately, he’ll be ably supported by a talented ensemble cast, including – but not limited to – Colin Farrell (Penguin), Zoe Kravitz (Catwoman), Jeffrey Wright (Jim Gordon) and Paul Dano (Riddler). The Batman is currently shooting in Glasgow, Scotland, and is due to swoop into cinemas in June 2021.
