Although production was recently The Batman is on its way for a 2021 theatrical release. Reeves has a chance to reinvent Batman on the big screen, after Tim Burton, Christopher Nolan, Zack Snyder, and unfortunately, Joel Schumacher, have all brought the Caped Crusader to multiplexes in their own distinctive styles.
Robert Pattinson has been cast as the next cinematic incarnation of the Dark Knight, and a lot is riding on his performance. So, here are 5 ways that Pattinson’s incarnation of the Bat can be different from previous versions, as well as 5 longstanding traditions that he still needs to uphold.
DIFFERENT: Lack Of Experience
In The Batman, Bruce Wayne will reportedly be new to fighting crime. It won’t be an origin story, because the Bat’s origin story has been done to death on the big screen, but it will pick up with a Batman who’s only been protecting the streets of Gotham for about a year.
All the previous on-screen incarnations of the character have presented him with unparalleled crimefighting abilities. Even in Batman Begins, which tells the character’s origin story in detail, Batman returns from his League of Shadows training with unbeatable physical prowess and finely tuned instincts.
TRADITION: Having A “Batman Voice”
Just as every Bond actor has a different candor when delivering one-liners, every post-Keaton Batman actor has defined their own “Batman voice.” During pre-production on the 1989 Tim Burton movie, Michael Keaton became concerned that Bruce Wayne’s identity remaining a secret was unrealistic because he’s a high-profile public figure who dresses up like a bat. His solution was to play Batman’s scenes with a lower-pitched tone.
Ever since then, the “Batman voice” has become a tradition of actors who take on the role. Christian Bale’s growly Batman voice was ripe for parody, while Ben Affleck’s was refreshingly aggressive. Robert Pattinson has said that his Batman voice is inspired by his co-star Willem Dafoe’s performance in The Lighthouse, which is certainly a strong jumping-off point.
DIFFERENT: The World’s Greatest Detective
Alongside the more commonly cited “the Dark Knight” and “the Caped Crusader,” Batman’s nicknames include “the World’s Greatest Detective.” In the comics, Batman’s detective skills play a crucial role in many of his storylines, but the films have sidelined this aspect of the character in favor of big-budget spectacle.
And it’s a shame because there’s a real chance to make a Batman film as a detective story with the visual language of film noirs.
TRADITION: Trusting The Director’s Vision
The best on-screen incarnations of Batman have involved a strong partnership between the actor and the director. Michael Keaton Batfleck’s arc was very misguided and all over the place.
Matt Reeves has proven he can helm a satisfying franchise reboot with his Planet of the Apes movies, while Cloverfield and Let Me In proved he’s a modern visionary. Robert Pattinson should trust Reeves’ vision and collaborate closely with him.
DIFFERENT: Get Weird With It
Batman is an orphan who isolates himself from the world, dresses up like a bat, and spends his nights beating up criminals. For all intents and purposes, the guy is a total weirdo.
Robert Pattinson’s work in his last couple of movies seem to suggest that he’ll lean into Batman’s weirdness and deliver a gonzo, out-there performance as Bruce Wayne, which is certainly exciting.
TRADITION: Dark Tone
Audiences love dark stories. Even when the dark tone is forced and disted, moviegoers will lap it up. Just look at the $1.074 billion in Joker’s pockets. Batman stories usually have dark themes (although, in the ‘60s, with Adam West in the role, that couldn’t have been further from the truth), because the character is violent, conflicted, dealing with trauma, and a regular lawbreaker.
When he’s playing Batman, Robert Pattinson should draw from the dark corners of his mind where he came up with intense work for movies like Good Time and The Rover.
DIFFERENT: Authentic Fight Scenes
A huge part of Batman’s career as a masked vigilante is his skills as a fighter, but the previous movies have fallen short of bringing the Bat’s ass-kicking to life on the silver screen. Christopher Nolan’s fight scenes were choppily edited and induced headaches. Batfleck came close to overcoming this obstacle, with flashes of brutal violence and impressive stunt work, but Zack Snyder’s hyper-stylized production design and overuse of slow-motion distracted from the good stuff.
Robert Pattinson has been training in Brazilian jiu-jitsu with John Wick instructor Rigan Machado. So, Pattinson’s Batman will have his own fighting style, and he’ll be doing a lot of his own hand-to-hand combat.
TRADITION: A Father-Son Dynamic With Alfred
Any on-screen portrayal of Bruce Wayne worth his salt needs to have a palpable father-son dynamic with his butler, Alfred Pennyworth. Alfred is all Bruce had left in the world after his parents died when he was a kid. He raised him like he was his own son.
Christian Bale and Michael Caine, Ben Affleck and Jeremy Irons, and to a lesser extent, Michael Keaton and Michael Gough, have all shared this dynamic. Robert Pattinson needs to find a surrogate father figure in Andy Serkis’ Alfred.
DIFFERENT: A Deeply Flawed Bruce Wayne
It’s often forgotten that whoever gets cast to play Batman is also getting cast to play Bruce Wayne. In this respect, the casting of Robert Pattinson is spot-on.
In David Cronenberg’s Cosmopolis, Pattinson played a billionaire with self-destructive tendencies. He played a materialistic man’s confrontation with his soul astoundingly. There’s no doubt that he’ll make a great Bruce Wayne, and he could bring more depth to the character than any of his predecessors have.
TRADITION: Proving The Naysayers Wrong
When the traditionally comedic actor Michael Keaton was cast to play Batman, Warner Bros. received 50,000 complaint letters, but his performance won over fans immediately. Ben Affleck’s casting in his hypnotic, definitive portrayal of a genuinely psychotic Clown Prince of Crime.
Robert Pattinson has been met with fan backlash, because he’s primarily known for the Twilight movies, despite the fact he’s successfully shed that image in the field of arthouse cinema. So, above all else, he needs to uphold the Batman actor tradition of proving the naysayers wrong.
