Long before Robert Pattinson signed on the dotted line to star as Bruce Wayne in The
Batman, the internet lit up like a Christmas tree with hot takes on the news.
Now, director Matt Reeves has broken his silence on the "Battinson" hullabaloo … kind of!
On June 3rd, Reeves addressed Pattinson's casting in The Batman in a very 2019 way.
He posted a GIF of Pattinson in 2017's criminally underrated Good Time, and then added three
bat emojis for a caption.
While Warner Bros. hasn't released an official statement about Pattinson's involvement as
of the making of this video, Reeves' simple tweet basically seals the deal.
The GIF and caption combination gets the message across perfectly: Pattinson is the new Bruce
Wayne, and Reeves clearly wants fans to be aware of Pattinson's most critically acclaimed
role to date.
In not overtly praising Pattinson, the filmmaker didn't stoke the fires burning on the side
of social media that wants to vilify Pattinson and slam him as a terrible choice to succeed
Ben Affleck as Batman on the basis that he starred in the Twilight movies the better
part of a decade ago.
Reeves did just enough to let his thoughts be heard without making the situation even
more divisive than it already is.
When Pattinson's name first sprang up in connection with The Batman, thousands of people hopped
on Twitter to shout into the social media sphere about what they thought of the English
actor portraying Bruce Wayne.
Many shared that they absolutely hate the idea, while some were conflicted by the whole
notion like film critic Mike McGranaghan, who tweeted,
"I honestly don't know how to feel about Robert Pattinson as Batman.
On one hand, I hate the idea, because I can't even remotely picture him as the Dark Knight.
On the other hand, I absolutely love the idea for the exact same reason."
Others held nothing back in denouncing Pattinson as a poor pick for Batman.
One user wrote,
"I've never been so disappointed in a #Batman casting, #RobertPattinson is a horrible choice
to play the character."
Someone else directly called out Reeves and criticized him for casting Pattinson as the
new Dark Knight, writing,
"[I've] loved batman films since being a child and you've completely ruined it for me and
hundreds of thousands of others by casting Robert Pattinson as batman, you should check
the comment sections on pages which have shared this news, bad move."
While those individuals were huffing and puffing over the "Battinson" news, others were firing
shots at the naysayers and defending Warner Bros. and Reeves' decision to cast Pattinson
as Batman.
An argument many repeated in their pro-Pattinson tweets involved Heath Ledger's casting as
the Joker.
When Ledger was confirmed for the Joker, plenty didn't like the thought of the actor entering
the DC movie world to play the infamous villain for the sole reason that he had made a name
for himself with light-hearted movies like 10 Things I Hate About You.
As we all know, Ledger proved everyone wrong and his take on the Joker is now a favorite
amongst fans.
"Why so serious?"
Many believe the same thing could end up happening with Pattinson and his performance as Batman.
Like artist Jen Bartel said,
"Robert Pattinson hasn't been Edward Cullen since 2012.
Heath Ledger was known for playing teenage heartthrobs in movies like 10 Things I Hate
About You and A Knight's Tale before he went on to play what is widely considered the most
terrifying version of The Joker.
Grow up."
Some may still be unsure of Pattinson's ability to knock the Batarang out of the park when
he dons the cape and cowl in The Batman, but there are several reasons why he's actually
a flawless fit for the role more so than any of the dozen or so other actors once rumored
to be in consideration.
"How would you like it if I made you cry, huh?
Would you like that?"
He's got the acting chops, the brooding nature required to play the tortured billionaire
orphan, and, as Willem Dafoe astutely pointed out, the strong chin needed to embody Bruce
Wayne.
The Batman is scheduled to fly into theaters on June 25, 2021.
Then, the world can decide whether Battinson is better or worse than Battfleck.
"Breathe it in.
That's fear!"
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