Ragesh Dipu
After months of speculation, Robert Pattinson has been cast as the lead in Matt Reeves’ ‘The Batman,’ succeeding Ben Affleck. According to Variety, it’s not yet an official deal, but Pattinson tops the list of contenders, which also includes Nicholas Hoult. Warner Bros. has lined up the DC Comics movie for a June 25, 2021 release. Pre-production of the project is expected to start this summer.
Ben Affleck played the superhero in ‘Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, ‘Suicide Squad,’ and ‘Justice League.’ Earlier, reports suggested that the Oscar winner would also direct the upcoming Batman flick. Though the casting was celebrated by Affleck fans, the three flicks left Batman fans empty-handed.
Matt Reeves, who is known for the last two ‘Planet of the Apes‘ sequels, replaced Ben Affleck as the helmer in January 2017. He has been developing the secretive project for the last two years. After ‘Justice League,’ Affleck and Warner Bros. reportedly started discussions to terminate the actor’s association with the masked crusader franchise. Reeves will also produce ‘The Batman’ along with his ‘Planet of the Apes’ producing partner Dylan Clark.
According to reports, Reeves is in the final stages of finishing the script for the movie. At the age of 32, Pattinson becomes the youngest actor to play Batman in feature films. Warner Bros. has put a lot of time, money and hope in the Reeves’s version of ‘Batman’ after the disappointments of ‘Batman v Superman’ and ‘Justice League.’
A number of actors have donned the cape including Christian Bale, Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer and George Clooney. Bale is the most popular and revered ‘Batman’ actor so far with his stunning portrayal of the superhero in Christopher Nolan’s ‘Dark Knight’ trilogy. Kevin Conroy voiced the superhero in ‘Batman: The Animated Series’ and Adam West starred as the protector of Gotham city on a TV show in the ’60s.
‘The Batman’ is a change of course for Pattinson who is best known for his popular ‘Twilight‘ series. But, the British actor is more leaned towards low-budget indie flick in recent times. His most recent release was Claire Denis’ ‘High Life.’ Pattinson will next be seen in Christopher Nolan’s upcoming mysterious project for Warner Bros.
No other details about the villain and plot of ‘The Batman’ have been revealed yet. “You can’t have Batman without a villain,” Reeves told THR in January. “There will be a rogues gallery,” he added.
