“It’s kind of insane,” Robert Pattinson, 33, said to Esquire about him landing the role of the Caped Crusader. The Twilight star went from bats to Batman, much to the chagrin of DC fans who couldn’t stand the thought of Edward Cullen going under the cape and cowl. Robert admitted that he shared these angry fans’ disbelief that he, out of everyone out there, was going to be the lead in The Batman. “I was so far away from ever thinking it was a realistic prospect. I literally do not understand how I’ve got it, at all.”
Well, the truth is less exciting than what someone might find in an issue of Detective Comics. Robert got the role because he campaigned for it. “When I was a kid, [a Batman costume] was the only outfit that I had,” Robert told Variety when revealing how he landed the part. He also revealed that he’s been chasing the role for longer than anyone knew. Robert heard that Matt Reeves was working on a script that reimagined Bruce Wayne in his younger years, and he wanted in, “I’d had Batman in my mind for a while. It’s such an absurd thing to say. I sort of had an idea to do it, and I’d been prodding Matt. He didn’t accept any prods. I kept asking to meet him.”
Robert met with Matt and started talking. Then, while on his way to the Cannes Film Festival for the world premiere of The Lighthouse, reports claimed that he had been cast as Batman. “When that thing leaked, I was f—ing furious,” Robert said. “Everyone was so upset. Everyone was panicking from my team. I sort of thought that had blown up the whole thing.” He said the leaks came when he hadn’t even auditioned for the part yet and was worried that the “leak” jeopardized his chances of getting the part. Clearly, it did not, as he landed the role.
“To be honest, [the backlash] was less vitriolic than I was expecting,” Robert added while explaining that he doesn’t mind that people are already underestimating his take on the Dark Knight. “It’s much more fun when you’re an underdog. There’s no expectation of you.”
“Rob is really looking forward to taking on the Batman role,” a source told HollywoodLife EXCLUSIVELY. “He is actually looking forward more to being Bruce Wayne, but he is ready for this role and really hopes he doesn’t lose out on it. He is looking forward to bulking up and getting into amazing shape for the part as well.”