Multiple Petitions to Replace Robert Pattinson as Batman Have Already Been Launched

Just hours after Variety announced former Twilight star Robert Pattinson is expected to win the role of a younger Bruce Wayne in the Matt Reeves-directed The Batman, multiple petitions have surfaced hoping to oust Pattinson from the Batcave.

One petition pleads to studio Warner Bros: "Don't make the Batfleck mistake again," citing former Batman star Ben Affleck, who exited the role after starring as a weathered crime-fighter in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Suicide Squad, and Justice League. The petition is accompanied by a portrait of Pattinson with "no" graffitied across his face.

Another urges like-minded fans to thwart Warner Bros.' plans, calling the casting a "complete joke" and "the worst casting ever" for the Dark Knight. A similar petition seeks to "replace Robert Pattinson as the new Batman," the plea described as "self explanatory."

Yet another campaigns on the behalf of Call Me by Your Name star Armie Hammer, writing, "To cast Robert Pattinson or anyone other than Armie Hammer at this point would be a joke."

Variety exclusively reported Thursday Pattinson is "top choice" for the role and that the deal is expected to close shortly.

But the deal is not yet official, and Deadline noted Dark Phoenix star Nicholas Hoult is still in the running for the role alongside reported frontrunner Pattinson. Hoult is said to be a favorite of Reeves and the studio.

Both stars top a shortlist that reportedly includes the 32-year-old Hammer, who has long denied he's been approached for the role despite a February report claiming he had been cast, and 28-year-old Aaron Taylor-Johnson, who earlier headlined 2014's Godzilla for the studio.

Whichever actor wins the role will play a younger Bruce Wayne relatively new to his place as Gotham City's sworn protector in what has been described by Reeves as a "point of view-driven, noir Batman tale."

In March, Affleck said he's "looking forward" to seeing Reeves' Batman, telling ET Canada, "They've got a great director. They're doing a kind of, I don't want to give away anything... but they're doing a young version, a more starting-out version with a younger guy."

Pattinson's potential casting has already ignited a mixed bag of reactions online. Similar outcry centered around Affleck when he was announced as the first actor to portray the DC Extended Universe's Batman in August 2013.

The Batman is scheduled for June 25, 2021.