Actor Robert Pattinson has said that he is aware of Batman’s legacy, and that is why he was attracted to play the character. Pattinson will appear as The Dark Knight in an upcoming film directed by Matt Reeves, which was in production but was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
In a GQ profile, the actor said, “I think sometimes the downsides—which I’ve definitely thought about—the downsides kind of seem like upsides. I kind of like the fact that not only are there very, very, very well-done versions of the character which seem pretty definitive, but I was thinking that there are multiple definitive playings of the character.”
Pattinson said that the character has been portrayed in a variety of forms, from George Clooney’s lighter version to Ben Affleck’s animalistic take. He continued, “I was watching the making of Batman & Robin the other day. And even then, George Clooney was saying that he was worried about the fact that it’s sort of been done, that a lot of the ground you should cover with the character has been already covered. And that’s in ’96, ’97? And then there’s Christian Bale, and Ben Affleck’s one. And then I was thinking, it’s fun when more and more ground has been covered. Like, where is the gap? You’ve seen this sort of lighter version, you’ve seen a kind of jaded version, a kind of more animalistic version. And the puzzle of it becomes quite satisfying, to think: Where’s my opening?”
{{/usCountry}}Pattinson said that the character has been portrayed in a variety of forms, from George Clooney’s lighter version to Ben Affleck’s animalistic take. He continued, “I was watching the making of Batman & Robin the other day. And even then, George Clooney was saying that he was worried about the fact that it’s sort of been done, that a lot of the ground you should cover with the character has been already covered. And that’s in ’96, ’97? And then there’s Christian Bale, and Ben Affleck’s one. And then I was thinking, it’s fun when more and more ground has been covered. Like, where is the gap? You’ve seen this sort of lighter version, you’ve seen a kind of jaded version, a kind of more animalistic version. And the puzzle of it becomes quite satisfying, to think: Where’s my opening?”
{{/usCountry}}Also read: Robert Pattinson describes his version of Batman as ‘crazy and perverse’
Pattinson’s first look as the character was shared by Reeves before they began filming outdoors, perhaps to get ahead of possible set leaks, which eventually happened. The film has been described as a grounded, detective-oriented take on the superhero.
The actor concluded, “Do I have anything inside me which would work if I could do it? And then also, it’s a legacy part, right? I like that. There’s so few things in life where people passionately care about it before it’s even happened. You can almost feel that pushback of anticipation, and so it kind of energizes you a little bit. It’s different from when you’re doing a part and there’s a possibility that no one will even see it. Right? In some ways it’s, I don’t know… It makes you a little kind of spicy.”
The Batman also stars Colin Farrell, Zoe Kravitz, Paul Dano, Peter Sarsgard, Andy Serkis and others. The film has been pushed to October 2021. But before that, Pattinson is due to star in Christopher Nolan’s Tenet, which will also be delayed from its July release in all likelihood.
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