Warner Bros has officially cast Robert Pattinson as the next Batman, according to multiple reports Friday morning. The Twilight star will become the Caped Crusader in The Batman, a trilogy to be directed by Matt Reeves.
The news comes after weeks of speculation that Pattinson would be cast, and confirmation that he was among one of the frontrunners in the process.
In his casting, Pattinson officially beat out other hollywood favorites, including Nicholas Hoult and Armie Hammer, for the part. The actor has been in contract negotiations since mid-May, according to Variety, though Warner Bros. only confirmed his casting on Friday.
Pattinson is best known for his role as Edward Cullen in the Twilight series of vampires-and-werewolves films based on the book series by Stephanie Meyer. He's appeared in more than a handful of other titles since the last Twilight film, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2, premiered in 2012. The actor received significant praise for his role in 2017's dark drama Good Time and for his nearly unrecognizable supporting role in The Lost City of Z in 2016.
The actor currently has a slew of films in production, according to the Internet Movie Database (IMDB) The thriller, Tenet, is currently filming. Films The King, The Devil All The Time and Waiting For The Barbarians are in post-production. His latest film, The Lighthouse, premiered in Cannes earlier this month.
Pattinson is also listed on two films in pre-production, as well as The Batman, which, according to IMDB is in the "script" phase. It's expected to be released publically in 2021.
Twitter users had mixed reactions on Pattinson's casting. Some were unenthusiastic for Pattinson's role, considering his past in the Twilight franchise, which some regarded as a series of cheesy, teen-targeted flicks. Others rejoiced at the casting because of Pattinson's acting history and good looks.
One, seemingly consistent take, though, came from a handful of users with no definitive opinion on the casting. Some Twitter users urged superhero fans to give the actor a chance, despite his acting past.
Pattinson as #TheBatman. Good choice and now I await the sea of moaning from people who just associate him with Twilight and haven't seen all the good shit he's done after those movies.
— David Bryan (@bryanee1983) May 31, 2019
I know people are complaining about Robert Pattinson playing #TheBatman but I don’t really care. I just want consistency. Is it too much to ask to have one Batman for 10 years?
— Gavin (@GRRWrites) May 31, 2019
Other users made jokes about Pattinson's vampire role in Twilight. Another consistent speaking point was that fans of the Batman character would like to see one actor portray the superhero, rather than additional remakes of the concept with new actors each time.
Going to be really awkward when Robert Pattinson's THE BATMAN is arrested by Commissioner Gordon for sucking on the necks of underage teenage girls in the first 5 minutes of the movie.
— Brian McWilliams (@BrianMcWilliams) May 31, 2019
Pattinson has not made a public comment, as he does not have social media accounts. The actor did not immediately respond to Newsweek's request for comment on the casting, and how it compares to his other roles.
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