Ever since Robert Pattinson was announced as Bruce Wayne in Matt Reeves’ The Batman, fans have been eagerly waiting to see what he brings to the role. While some are dubious as to his ability to embody the Caped Crusader, there’s been ample evidence that he put his all into the performance. Now, ahead of the film’s long-awaited debut, Pattinson has revealed a long personal history with previous Batman films, and shared exactly how much they mean to him.
As soon as the credits first roll on The Batman, fans will likely begin to debate its place in the pantheon of every other live-action Dark Knight-centric film. Even though he’s starring in this one, it sounds like Robert Pattinson would be more than qualified to join the conversation. He recently told CinemaBlend’s sister site Total Film that he has kept tabs on Gotham City’s most infamous vigilante for years:
Out of all the comic-book characters and that kind of movie, I’ve seen every single one of the [Batman] movies in the cinema, which I can’t really say I’ve done for any other series. I was always really looking forward to them coming out. There was the combination of just being so attracted to it, but also feeling like it’d had a lot of movies made about it, and none of them are bad movies. People kind of shit on some of them, but they’re not actually bad. They all kind of completely achieve what they set out to achieve, and they’re all really interesting, according to their time and place. I don’t know. I just had a weird instinct about it. But I’ve always loved the character.
It makes sense, then, why Robert Pattinson pursued the role, even though on paper it's much different from the other great parts he's played in the past. Not only does he feel an affinity for the character, he himself is undeniably a fan of the entire world that the brooding character exists in. I can’t say that I blame him – and given what else he’s said about reading comics, and his views on whether Bruce Wayne is a hero, it’s safe to say he’s done his research.
There have already been clues that Robert Pattinson is a bonafide Batman fan, so this news shouldn’t be too shocking. When asked which previous movie was the most similar to his own upcoming flick, he named the animated film Mask of the Phantasm, which is probably not one that the average filmgoer has seen. According to Pattinson, both films contemplate the idea that being the Caped Crusader is a curse – which definitely lines up with the darker themes that have been revealed in the movie’s haunting trailer.
We’ll finally get to see how Pattinson makes the iconic role his own when The Batman hits theaters on March 4. In the meantime, you can stream the past movies with the use of a Hulu subscription or HBO Max membership.
