Playing Bruce Wayne is arguably a lot more difficult than embodying his costumed alter ego, because there’s at least plenty of baked-in iconography that comes with the cape and cowl to paper over some of the performative cracks, even if nothing could save George Clooney from disaster.
Robert Pattinson has built a reputation for going all-in on playing deeply flawed characters, which is one of the major reasons why his turn as Bruce in The Batman is generating so much excitement. It’s a lot easier to have audiences root for a charismatic playboy that kicks ass, than it is to have them sympathize with a rich kid who uses his vast wealth to further his revenge-fueled existence.
Speaking to Empire, Pattinson revealed that even though The Batman unfolds during Bruce’s second year as Gotham City’s resident vigilante, longtime butler, confidant and erstwhile father figure Alfred Pennyworth already thinks he may have gone completely insane.
“Bruce has been hiding away, he’s not really a socialite at all. He’s building all these little contraptions and things, just with Alfred. And even Alfred thinks he’s gone insane!”
Michael Keaton did the eccentric side of the equation better than anybody else, but it sounds as though Pattinson is going full-blown tortured and potentially psychopathic. The Batman might be the latest in a long line of blockbusters starring the Caped Crusader, but it’s set to stand way out from the pack.
