Summary
- Robert Pattinson had to say “I’m Batman” to remind people of his role, with his Twilight past still looming.
- Despite prior skepticism, Pattinson’s performance in The Batman received positive reactions.
- Pattinson strives to move past his Twilight image by showcasing his versatility in various film roles.
After The Batman, Robert Pattinson is already knee-deep in his role as Bruce Wayne/Batman, yet, shadows of his past role(s) still loom. The 38-year-old Briton recently shared that he had to say the famous line, “I’m Batman,” to remind some folks that he is still the protector of Gotham.
Robert Pattinson played the cold vampire Edward Cullen in the three billion-dollar The Twilight Saga franchise from 2008 up to its end in 2012. Despite starring in many tonally diverse films since then—such as Lighthouse, Cosmopolis, and Tenet—skepticism was loud when his casting as Batman in Matt Reeves’ The Batman went public in 2019. Some fans, unsure if he had the range to don the cape and cowl, went as far as writing petitions to reverse the casting decision. However, the movie and Pattinson’s performance received positive reactions, calming any nerves. A sequel, The Batman 2, is scheduled to release in 2026 with Pattison set to reprise his role in the would-be trilogy.
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However, not everyone has been so convinced. Speaking to the New York Times, Pattison recently shared how he found himself in quite the awkward position of reminding an immigration officer that he was Batman. The actor said he was at passport control when the immigration officer asked him, “Hey, you’re the guy from ‘Twilight’. Why’d you stop acting?” Unsure of how to respond, Pattinson replied with perhaps two of the most famous words in cinema: “I’m Batman.” To his surprise, she just laughed, ending a somewhat hilarious, albeit awkward, scenario.
It would seem that Pattinson is doomed to be forever remembered as Edward Cullen from Twilight, with the image of the lean, pale, and cold vampire difficult to eject. He wouldn’t be the first actor to experience such a fate, though. Twilight co-star Kristen Stewart had previously opened up on how difficult it was to prove to studios that she was a serious actor after her role as Bella Swan in the franchise. Her personal life with her girlfriend was also affected, as she was told to be less affectionate to avoid hurting her career. The world came to know Steve Carell from his The Office fame as one of America’s funniest men and many fans were unlikely to remember him as anything else, that is, until his Foxcatcher role earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. The same could be said for Jonah Hill, who went from his 2000s and 2010s comedic era to making a statement in Django Unchained and Martin Scorsese’s The Wolf of Wall Street.
Those who doubted—and still do—Pattinson’s range and versatility only need to look at his post-Twilight filmography. Through Tenet, Lighthouse, Cosmopolis, and High Life, Pattinson has played everything from a James Bond-esque time-bending operative to a mentally derailing lighthouse keeper, a traumatized lad, and a calculative hedge fund manager. Of course, the actor has already proved he has what it takes to play the Caped Crusader in The Batman but tidbits of his emotional Batman vibes were almost impossible not to tie back to his Twilight days; thus, it’s possible that the actor may need more than one Batman film to completely replace his widely known “Robert Cullen” with his rising persona as “Battinson.” As the actor is set to star in Possession, Paramount’s remake of the 1981 supernatural horror classic, skeptics would undoubtedly be keen-eyed to once more evaluate what Pattinson brings to the “versatility” table.
The Batman currently streams on Max, and The Batman 2 is set for release on October 2, 2026.
The Batman Part II
The Batman Part II is the sequel to Matt Reeve’s The Batman, released in 2022, and will continue where the original film left off. The film shares a universe with the HBO Max original Penguin series and sees the return of the Riddler and a different incarnation of the Joker.
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Source: New York Times