Robert Pattinson has begun training for his role as the Caped Crusader in Matt Reeves’ The Batman. Pattinson was named as the newest Batman back in May, taking over for Justice League star Ben Affleck, and fan reaction was mixed to the say the least (but that’s of course nothing new when it comes to Batman casting news).
Since Pattinson’s addition was announced, The Batman has begun building out the rest of its cast, adding Zoë Kravitz as Catwoman, Paul Dano as The Riddler (after Jonah Hill was reportedly considered) and most recently Jeffrey Wright as Jim Gordon. Beyond casting, details are still scarce as to what Reeves and company have in store as they take over the Batman character and carry him into the future, but Pattinson may have given fans a hint when he recently said he doesn’t see Batman as a conventional hero. Reeves for his part previously suggested that his take on the defender of Gotham will go back to the character’s historical comic book depiction when he was more detective than superhero.
As preparations continue for Batman to return to screens, Pattinson has begun the arduous process of getting himself in physical shape to tackle the role of Bruce Wayne. Pattinson’s trainer Rigan Machado indeed just shared an image of himself and Pattinson in the gym working hard on getting the actor ready for the task ahead. See the image in the space below:
Starting training for the role is in fact just the latest step in Pattinson’s process of transforming himself into The Dark Knight. Previously, the actor revealed – perhaps jokingly – that he’s already picked out his Batman voice, using his The Lighthouse co-star Willem Dafoe as inspiration. Pattinson also revealed that he’s already tried on his Batsuit, and has spoken to Dark Knight trilogy director Christopher Nolan looking for tips about how to physically perform in the suit (Nolan and Pattinson are of course working together on the director’s mysterious upcoming thriller project Tenet).
Indeed, it seems that Pattinson is ready to sink himself all the way into the character of Batman, which should come as no surprise given the actor’s insane level of commitment to roles in other recent films, including The Lighthouse, which is garnering Oscar buzz. Even so, when it comes to physical preparation, Pattinson will have a long way to go to catch up to Christian Bale, who transformed himself into a genuine physical specimen to play Wayne in the Dark Knight trilogy. It will be fascinating to see what Pattinson looks and sounds like when The Batman finally arrives in theaters. Of course, no matter what he does, it will undoubtedly meet with a certain amount of negativity from some circles.
Source: Rigan Machado/Instagram
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