Robert Pattinson makes an incredible transformation as the Caped Crusader in The Batman. He has a distinct Batsuit that fans will finally get to see in action when the movie hits theaters on March 4. The 35-year-old actor effortlessly assumes the role of Batman, and we hope this won’t be his last time in the Batsuit.
Rob’s journey to becoming Batman wasn’t easy. From his physical transformation to doing extensive screen tests in other famous Batsuits, the actor was put through the wringer. From details about Rob’s Batsuit to his diet and exercise routine, here’s everything you need to know regarding Robert’s Batman suit.
Robert Pattinson’s Batman Suit
Batman has been onscreen for nearly 60 years, and the Batsuit has evolved over the decades. Robert’s Batman suit was designed by Glyn Dillon. Director Matt Reeves admitted that Rob actually had a role in bringing his Batsuit to life. The key to The Batman’s Batsuit was that it felt lived in and made by Bruce himself.
“One of the things that’s really important is being able to work with the actors. Rob [Pattinson] had a very important part in designing the suit in that he had to be able to wear it, he had to be able to fight in it,” Matt said during DC FanDome in 2021d. “One of the things about this Batsuit is that it is very practical. The whole idea is that he’s made it himself. And so, we needed to be able to see how it would fit on him and all the ways he could move but also make it look like something that was still evolving. Even the idea of the story, he’s in year two so he’s been wearing it and so every night, he goes out looking for trouble. You look at his cowl and actually see there are gashes in it. All of that detail was an incredibly exciting dialogue between me and the costume designers and then having Rob involved.”
Robert Pattinson’s Diet & Exercise Routine For ‘The Batman’
Like many Batman actors before him, Robert did have to undergo a physical transformation before getting into his Batsuit. “I had about three months before the movie started, and then you’re working out before and after work all the time,” he told PEOPLE. “You just cut down and cut down and cut down before the couple of scenes with your shirt off, and you’re counting sips of water.” The Lighthouse star was well aware he would also have to be shirtless at some point in the movie and knew he had to be prepared. “Shame is my biggest motivator, 100 percent,” he said.
As far as his exercise routine, Robert revealed to Healthy For Men that he would run “5-10km, three or four times per week” in addition to the gym. His workouts also included “military-style sandbag routines on the beach” and boxing. At the gym, he did a “regular five-minute cardio workout, then a circuit of bicycle crunches, dumbbell side bends, double crunches, and a superman — with three sets of 25 reps per move. When it came to his diet for The Batman, Rob “cut down on alcohol” and “stripped back on processed meat and fried foods.”
“In every project I’ve ever taken on, I’ve come into it wanting to learn and to achieve new things,” he said in the interview. “That’s usually in the embodiment of a character, and someone who has a different personality to me, but taking on a full physical transformation as well feels even more exciting.”
Robert Pattinson Did A Screen Test In Val Kilmer’s Batsuit
During DC FanDome, director Matt Reeves revealed that early screen tests for The Batman featured Robert in Val Kilmer’s Batsuit that he wore in the 1995 film Batman Forever. Rob admitted that Matt eventually became concerned about Rob sweating in the Batsuit.
“It was crazy, but I remember putting it on and thinking, ‘This is impossible, this is gonna be absolutely impossible.’ I remember you [Matt Reeves] saying like, because I guess just trying to move, I mean wearing a kind of 2-inch thick rubber suit, a latex suit, and being incredibly nervous and full of adrenaline the whole time. I remember we did like 2 takes and you were just saying ‘What can we do about the sweat?’ And I was like, ‘Nothing! There’s nothing that could be done!’ I had to like be drained of liquid!” Rob said during the DC FanDome panel.
Robert Pattinson Wore George Clooney’s Batsuit
Robert also revealed that he donned George Clooney’s Batsuit from the 1997 film Batman & Robin during the audition process. George’s Batsuit was known for its “bat nipples.” The Twilight alum recalled wearing the costume for nearly 8 hours.
“It was incredible. I mean, I remember when I was doing the screen test, because it was really fun and it was really, really long,” Rob told ComicBook.com. “I mean, I literally did a screen test in it for about 8 hours and the entire time was just pouring sweat so much with Matt [Reeves] saying, ‘What can we do about this sweat?’ I’m like, ‘There’s nothing to be done. The only way past this is not drinking any liquids.’…I remember sneaking a little selfie in it when everyone left the room thinking if this doesn’t work out… I’ll always have this. I’ll always have a picture of me and my nipples!”
In an interview with Fandango, Rob admitted that he actually tried on “every single Batman outfit” for his screen test. “The only person who had a large enough head for me to fit into the cowl was Clooney, actually,” he said. However, Rob noted that he could not fit into Clooney’s actual Batsuit.
Robert Pattinson got to try on every previous Batman suit and the previous Batmans might not want to hear his observations…
Get your tickets to #TheBatman: https://t.co/HnLbhnXebr pic.twitter.com/27y0GMWk4Q
— Fandango (@Fandango) February 10, 2022
Zoë Kravitz, who plays Catwoman, also recalled Rob wearing Clooney’s Batsuit. She told Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show that seeing Rob in the suit was “funny.” He wore the Batsuit “only from the waist up” and also had on sweatpants. Zoë called the look “Casual Batman.”