If you’ve been following Robert Pattinson’s career since his Twilight days, you’ll notice he’s been selective, opting for roles in films that venture far from the mainstream. Whether it’s David Michôd’s The Rover, David Cronenberg’s Maps to the Stars, the Safdie Brothers’ Good Time, Claire Denis’ High Life, or Robert Eggers’ The Lighthouse, R-Patz has chosen the unconventional path, both in the movies he takes on and the way he portrays his characters.
After a prolonged period of steering clear of big-budget productions, Pattinson took the plunge and joined Christopher Nolan’s Tenet. This decision seemed like a logical progression in his career. Nolan’s $200 million sci-fi action flick offered a vast global scope and blockbuster-worthy set pieces reminiscent of a James Bond spectacle.
Matt Reeves Was Excited For Robert Pattinson Joining Tenet
Nonetheless, for The Batman director Matt Reeves, Robert Pattinson’s involvement in Tenet was anything but cause for celebration. This development came as a blow to Reeves since he had already been considering Pattinson for the role of the Dark Knight in his DC Comics film. Reeves elaborated on this during the ReelBlend podcast:
“I was aware that he was doing ‘Tenet,’ and I thought that was really cool. Let me tell you actually how it really affected me. I wrote the story [for ‘The Batman’], I wrote this script, with Rob in mind. I wanted him to be my Batman. I had no idea if he was going to be Batman. And when it was announced that he was cast by Chris in ‘Tenet,’ I was devastated. Because I was convinced that, if he was gonna choose — because he’d been doing all of these art films, and he’d been working with all these interesting filmmakers … And I was like, if he’s gonna do it a blockbuster, will it be ‘Batman,’ and will he do more than one? And so when he’s doing a blockbuster with, like, one of the definitive Batman filmmakers I felt, ‘Okay, so there goes that! He’s not gonna want to be Batman!’ I had no clue, you know?”
Robert Pattinson had a strong desire to portray Batman, expressing his enduring affection for the character by stating that he had always been fond of the character.
Matt Reeves Wasn’t Sure If Robert Pattinson Would Join His Film
Nonetheless, it was far from certain when Matt Reeves’ trusted producing partner, Dylan Clark, scheduled a routine “general meeting” with Pattinson. To their delight, they discovered that Pattinson not only enthusiastically auditioned for The Batman while he was concurrently involved with Tenet, but he was also the one who initially proposed the idea.
Looking back, it’s somewhat amusing that Reeves had any reservations about Pattinson’s willingness to star in The Batman right after working on Tenet. Besides Pattinson’s genuine affection for the iconic vigilante, Reeves shares similarities with Nolan in that he has maintained the unique creative vision seen in his earlier, mid-budget directorial endeavors.
Tenet is available for rent or purchase on Google Play.
Source: Cinemablend
