Robert Pattinson Says The Batman Downsides Seem Like Upsides to Him

Before the pandemic caused movie productions around the world to shut down, Robert Pattinson was spending his time in London, working hard with director Matt Reeves on bringing his own version of Bruce Wayne to life in the upcoming film, The Batman. Pattinson is next in a long list of actors to portray Batman on the big screen, following in the footsteps of names like Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer, George Clooney, Christian Bale, and Ben Affleck. There are some serious downsides to playing a character that has been done so many times before, by so many other legendary performers, but Pattinson sees those downsides as upsides, excited by the challenge that they present.

“I think sometimes the downsides — which I’ve definitely thought about — the downsides kind of seem like upsides,” Pattinson told GQ in a recent interview. “I kind of like the fact that not only are there very, very, very well-done versions of the character which seem pretty definitive, but I was thinking that there are multiple definitive playings of the character. I was watching the making of Batman & Robin the other day. And even then, George Clooney was saying that he was worried about the fact that it’s sort of been done, that a lot of the ground you should cover with the character has been already covered. And that’s in [1997].”

According to Pattinson, the fun of taking on the role of Batman is 2020 is in finding an angle that no one else has explored before. His version of the character has to be something that hasn’t been done in the past, which is tough when you think about all of the different actors that have played Batman over the years.

“And then there’s Christian Bale, and Ben Affleck’s one. And then I was thinking, it’s fun when more and more ground has been covered,” he continued. “Like, where is the gap? You’ve seen this sort of lighter version, you’ve seen a kind of jaded version, a kind of more animalistic version. And the puzzle of it becomes quite satisfying, to think, ‘Where’s my opening?’ And also, do I have anything inside me which would work if I could do it? And then also, it’s a legacy part, right? 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. Right? In some ways it’s, I don’t know… It makes you a little kind of spicy.”

Pattinson’s take on Batman will certainly be unlike any other version that has come before, so it makes sense that fans are really looking forward to seeing what he brings to the table.

The Batman arrives in theaters on October 1, 2021.