Filmmaker Christopher Nolan has admitted to being excited for Robert Pattinson’s upcoming turn as Batman. The Batman will be the first new onscreen depiction of the character since Ben Affleck took over as the Caped Crusader in 2016’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
Like many people around the world throughout the past few months of the COVID-19 pandemic, Nolan has been struggling with his own difficulties. His new film, Tenet, which opened in 70 countries recently, has been battling to maintain a theatrical release – a fight that has seen the sci-fi espionage thriller’s arrival continuously postponed. Billed as the blockbuster that will save movie theatres after COVID’s crippling lockdown effects, Tenet has already received rave reviews from some critics and, to date, fans are pleased with what appears to be another cerebral exploration of space and time. But while Tenet’s popularity continues to grow, Nolan’s past work on The Dark Knight trilogy remains his crowning achievement for many. Robert Pattinson, who stars in Tenet, clinched the role of the eponymous hero in The Batman, leaving fans to wonder just what Nolan might think about this next step in the franchise.
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In a new interview via CNA’s YouTube channel, the Singapore-based news network decided to bring up the topic. Nolan admitted that when Pattison first learned he’d be taking over as the DC hero on the set of Tenet, “a respectful silence” was kept around the topic. But as time went on and Tenet’s shoot was almost complete, conversations were had and jokes were made. Nolan spoke with Pattinson about the role and its physical aspects. He also admits that he was “thrilled” that Pattinson was cast and that he believes the 34-year-old will do an amazing job:
“He certainly did not ask me for any advice. We kept a respectful silence around the issue ’til very near the end of the shoot. We said a couple of things and made a couple of jokes. We did have a little bit of a conversation about the various aspects of what he was going to be putting himself through. But I was thrilled that he was cast. I think that he’ll do an amazing job and I’m really excited to see what he does with that character.”
The Batman has gone through its own ups and downs on the way to production, with Ben Affleck originally planned to star as well as write and direct. As time passed, however, this reality grew increasingly unlikely until Affleck completely bowed out of the project. It took some time but, eventually, Pattinson was given the role. Since then, The Batman has been picking up pace, though like all other productions taking place this past winter/spring, the increased severity of the COVID-19 pandemic forced a halt in production. Now filming once again, Matt Reeves’ The Batman is set for an October 21, 2021 release date. Whether Pattinson will hit the mark as Batman remains to be seen, but having worked extensively with him on Tenet, Nolan’s belief that Pattinson will make an amazing Batman is likely to fill some fans with confidence.
There has been some debate among fans as to whether or not Pattinson is working out enough for his role in The Batman, but this is largely nitpicking. Pattinson will ultimately look exactly as Reeves wants him to look for the role. Without knowing what the director has planned, any argument to the contrary is baseless. And while Nolan is busy watching over Tenet’s box office results, he’s savvy enough to know a great Batman when he sees one – in fact, it’s arguable that no other filmmaker is better suited to make the call as to who is or isn’t going to be amazing as the Dark Knight.
Source: CNA via YouTube
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