Ever since Robert Pattinson became involved with the makers of the upcoming cinematic universe of Justice League, there’s been a lot of talk about whether he’s actually going to show up in person as the character he plays in the upcoming films. There are also a lot of questions about whether or not his character is even going to be in the same movie as Ben Affleck’s Batman. While there’s still no official word on that, there are signs that the relationship between Batman and Robin is going to get pretty interesting.
While in the MCU, Robert Pattinson has played two very different characters. The first was the manicure-loving Edward Cullen in the Twilight series, for which he won an Academy Award. The second was the brooding and solitary Batman in The Batman series and solo movie. While many would assume that those two characters are polar opposites, in reality, they’re pretty similar. In fact, they share a lot in common.
If you’ve been following along, you’ll know that director Matt Reeves and his team have been hard at work putting together an amazing cinematic universe for Warner Bros. With a massive amount of characters to choose from, it was only a matter of time before they locked down on one of the biggest names in Hollywood to headline the films. After all, who wouldn’t want to be the centrepiece of one of the biggest movie franchises of all time?
While it’s incredibly exciting to see Robert Pattinson involved with one of the biggest properties in Hollywood, there are a few problems that he needs to solve before he can officially join the DCEU. As we’ve established, Edward Cullen is a very different character to Batman, so it’s not really fair to judge him on how he acts or what he says as the latter is trained to be a professional while the former is not. Nevertheless, we can see an early glimpse of this in the trailer when Batman is called upon to save the life of Edward’s daughter, Bella, who’s been bitten by a wolf.
It’s clear from these early glimpses that Robert Pattinson has a lot to learn, both on and off the screen. For one thing, he needs to tone down his rough edges. He plays Batman incredibly well in the trailer, but outside of trailers, he can be incredibly harsh and, at times, even a little misogynistic. If he’s playing Bruce Wayne, he needs to embody all of that nobility and charisma that the character is known for. Not to mention his catchphrase, which is inexplicably funny in every context.
These are all things that his on-screen teachers, specifically Ben Affleck, will help him with. If he commits to this journey, he could be an unbelievable Batman, but he’s going to have to make some major changes to play the part well.
Is He or Isn’t He?
While there’s no denying that Matt Reeves has had an incredible career thus far, he’s never directed a feature-length film. With all of this in mind, it’s no surprise that there are still a lot of questions surrounding Robert Pattinson’s involvement with the DCEU. Some fans even questioned why he was even being considered for the part in the first place.
Even with all of this in mind, it’s still a matter of whether or not Robert Pattinson will show up as Ed Rice in person. It seems that there’s been some tension between Matt Reeves and Warner Bros. regarding how much screen time Robert Pattinson will get, if any at all. Reeves wants to keep his character relatively minimal, whereas the studio is keen to see his involvement increase. Unfortunately, these types of discussions often lead to recasting, which is no one’s favourite conversation topic. Still, we should have some idea of how much, if any, screen time Edward Rice will have in the near future.
The Potential for Interesting Theories
Before we move on, let’s take a quick look at some of the interesting theories surrounding Robert Pattinson’s potential involvement with the DCEU. The first is that he could be a shape-shifter. While we know that Robert Pattinson is not going to be physically transforming into another character, perhaps he could be covering up some incredible acting chops. Perhaps he could pull off a complete transformation, even becoming the main character of one of the films. Alternatively, perhaps he’s just playing a version of himself in the future, where he’s evolved as a character and become an amazing actor.
Why Is He Involved With The DCEU?
If there’s one thing that we’ve learned from Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League so far, it’s that Warner Bros. knows how to handle comic book adaptations. They’ve put together a really talented team of filmmakers behind the cameras, including some of the biggest names in cinema. It’s not just about having Batman and Superman in the same movie either, as both of their solo films have opened up exciting new possibilities for character interactions and, in some cases, even team-ups.
What’s more is that as part of this ensemble cast, Robert Pattinson will be getting a lot of on-screen teachers. Specifically, Matt Reeves is going to school Ben Affleck on how to make the transition from being a superhero to a regular guy. That’s going to be fun to watch.
What About His Dark Shadows And The Walking Dead?
There’s also the matter of Robert Pattinson’s small screen work to consider. Specifically, if you remember, he played the part of Quentin Tarantulin in the second season of HBO’s critically acclaimed series, The Dark Shadows. Then, earlier this year, he signed on for the third and final season of AMC’s The Walking Dead. While on the surface, these could seem like pretty standard television roles, in reality, they have the potential to expand his repertoire dramatically. Not only is he getting a lot of great acting roles, but perhaps he’s also going to land a part in a major motion picture. All of this is rather exciting.
What many people don’t realize is that, despite his reputation as just another pretty face, Robert Pattinson is a keen student of acting and has been quoted as saying, “I always find that the most important thing is not what someone says about you, but rather what you say about yourself. What do you bring to the role? What makes you different? That’s what I try and focus on as an actor – getting into the headspace of the character and staying there.””
With all of this in mind, it’s clear that Robert Pattinson has a lot riding on making a successful transition from actor to character. It’s not an easy thing to do, as we’ve established, and there’s a lot more drama surrounding this than many people realize. Still, if he wants to prove that he can do greater things than just play the pretty boy in Twilight, he’s certainly got the chance to do so with these select movie roles.