When Robert Pattinson was first revealed to be replacing Ben Affleck as the Caped Crusader of Gotham, many people thought back to his Twilight days and sighed.
However, with the release of the first trailer of DC and Warner Bros' The Batman, I can confidently say that any nay-sayers can prepare to eat their words - because Pattinson may just be the best actor to portray Batman yet!
Check out the incredible trailer below:The trailer not only gives us an incredible glimpse of Pattinson as the World's Greatest Detective, but also confirms that Paul Dano will play the movie's lead villain, The Riddler (who was famously portrayed by Jim Carrey in Joel Schumacher's 1995 adaptation Batman Forever).
The epic trailer also introduces several other key characters, such as Jeffrey Wright's James Gordon and Zoe Kravitz's Catwoman. Andy Serkis can also be heard as Bruce Wayne's faithful servant Alfred.
Per The Verge, the movie's director, Matt Reeves, has confirmed that the movie takes place roughly two years into Wayne's career as Batman, and stressed that there are people "who are afraid of him, quite frankly."
Upon watching the trailer, die-hard fans of the franchise may also notice that Pattinson's Bruce Wayne doesn't exude the billionaire playboy version of the orphan that many of us have become accustomed to thanks to Christian Bale and Ben Affleck's portrayals. Instead, he seems more troubled and unkempt.
Dare I say it, more gothy.
In an interview with the AVClub, Reeves revealed why Pattinson was the perfect choice to play Batman. He said:
"I mean, the thing about Robert Pattinson is he’s an incredible actor. I feel like the work that he’s done in the last, I don't know, six years has been incredible. [...]
"And he also happens to be a tremendous, passionate sort of fan of Batman, the way that I am. And so it was an incredible thing to be able to connect with him and to share our excitement about the character and to work with him.
"I mean, you know, he looks like Batman, but more than anything, he has the soul of someone, I think, that can play a Batman."
And speaking to GQ, Pattinson spoke about the pressure of having to portray a character with such a beloved legacy, saying:
"I like that. There’s so few things in life where people passionately care about it before it’s even happened.
"You can almost feel that pushback of anticipation, and so it kind of energizes you a little bit. It’s different from when you’re doing a part and there’s a possibility that no one will even see it."
The Batman is scheduled to be released on October 1, 2021.