Exactly When Robert Pattinson Landed The Batman Role Revealed

Robert Pattinson was cast as Batman on the Internet before he was officially cast by Warner Bros. and director Matt Reeves. The reports came out earlier than any deal had been finalized and there was a toss up between Pattinson and another actor, though it seems the job was really Pattinson's to lose more than anything else. The first report surfaced on May 17 before the casting was finalized last week, just before May came to an end.

"In reality, Pattinson was not the Caped Crusader… just yet," a report from THR says about the timing. "Hours after his Cannes duties in designer duds, he would be on a plane to Los Angeles to face perhaps the biggest test of his acting career: putting on a Batsuit for director Matt Reeves, who is casting The Batman."

After debuting his film The Lighthouse at the film festival, Pattinson jetted to the other side of the planet to pass the final test and become the next actor to play the biggest super hero in cinematic history. "That test was officially passed Friday when it was announced by Warner Bros. that Pattinson had won the role," the report goes on. "The decision was the culmination of an intense process that insiders describe as surprisingly quick. As opposed to most superhero casting efforts, which often include far-and-wide searches and dozens of screen tests for the likes of Superman or more recently, Spider-Man, the Batman process was notably smooth."

At the time, the X-Men franchise's recent Beast actor Nicholas Hoult was also in the running for the part as Batman. "Reeves and Warners execs took the week after Memorial Day to deliberate their choices, and by Thursday night, made the calls to the actors," the report claims. "The Batman who would lead the studio into the 2020s had been found."

The casting was influenced by looking for an actor who could tell Batman's origin story in a new format but also offer the franchise a long shelf life. In the era of super hero franchises dominated the box office, crafting a beloved comic book character with an audience-approved actor is more important for studios than ever. With many fans having met Pattinson in the Twilight films, some went on to watch him in films such as Good Time or The Rover, often going on to approve of his acting abilities.

The Batman movie starring Pattinson is expected to begin production in 2020 and hit theaters on June 25, 2021.