The Batman: Director Matt Reeves reflects on Robert Pattinson casting backlash

It appears that the fandom has now accepted that Robert Pattinson will do The Dark Knight justice when we finally see him don the cape and cowl in The Batman but that wasn’t always the case. When Pattinson was announced for the role, there was a lot of “why did they choose the Twilight guy” backlash after the news went public, and now director Matt Reeves is reflecting on those initial reactions.

During a chat with “Esquire“, Reeves discussed the upcoming film and the co-writer/director spoke on the backlash that came about when Robert Pattinson was cast. The director has always defended his decision and he believes that most people that complained about the choice had not seen his work after the Twilight franchise. Here is what he had to say:

“There has been no actor, when his announcement that he was going to be playing Batman in one of the feature films was announced, that has not received a backlash. The people who were excited, I knew it was because they knew Rob’s work post-Twilight. The people who weren’t excited, I knew it was because they didn’t know Rob’s work post-Twilight.”

Reeves does have a point. Backlash surrounded the character and who has played him in some way another. Despite Michael Keaton being beloved as the character, that was not the case when he was first announced. He had to prove himself once the film was released. While Val Kilmer and George Clooney didn’t see much backlash when they were first announced, their films were met with mixed and poor reviews which have followed their incarnations of the character. Christian Bale got out of all of this pretty much unscathed from start to finish while Ben Affleck received mixed-to-positive reviews for his take on the role.

Pattinson definitely had Twilight pushback. Most of the complaints came from people who were not aware that he was a capable actor in his subsequent work. The Lost City of Z, Good Time, and The Lighthouse are some of the projects that show that Pattinson had the chops to play Batman. As the film’s release date draws closer, I think he has won over most of the naysayers.

Per the film’s official synopsis, “It’s not just a call… It’s a warning. From Warner Bros. Pictures comes Matt Reeves’ “The Batman,” starring Robert Pattinson in the dual role of Gotham City’s vigilante detective and his alter ego, reclusive billionaire Bruce Wayne. Two years of stalking the streets as the Batman (Robert Pattinson), striking fear into the hearts of criminals, has led Bruce Wayne deep into the shadows of Gotham City. With only a few trusted allies—Alfred Pennyworth (Andy Serkis), Lt. James Gordon (Jeffrey Wright)—amongst the city’s corrupt network of officials and high-profile figures, the lone vigilante has established himself as the sole embodiment of vengeance amongst his fellow citizens. When a killer targets Gotham’s elite with a series of sadistic machinations, a trail of cryptic clues sends the World’s Greatest Detective on an investigation into the underworld, where he encounters such characters as Selina Kyle/aka Catwoman (Zoë Kravitz), Oswald Cobblepot/aka the Penguin (Colin Farrell), Carmine Falcone (John Turturro), and Edward Nashton/aka the Riddler (Paul Dano). As the evidence begins to lead closer to home and the scale of the perpetrator’s plans becomes clear, Batman must forge new relationships, unmask the culprit, and bring justice to the abuse of power and corruption that has long plagued Gotham City.”

What were YOUR thoughts when Robert Pattinson was first cast as Batman and what are YOUR thoughts now? The Batman hits screens on March 4, 2022.