If you thought the last time we saw Robert Pattinson it was on the big screen, then the news that he has a new movie coming out next year will come as a pleasant surprise. The follow-up to his Oscar-nominated role in the 2012 film, The Way Back, will be called Wester and will see the British actor take on the role of a real-life 19th century gunslinger. The movie is set for release on January 10, 2019.

A New, More Traditional Role

While The Way Back was clearly influenced by the Coen brothers’ 1998 film, No Country For Old Men, the new film will be more of a traditional Western.

In a press conference after the movie’s trailer was released, Pattinson discussed how he approached the role, which he said was influenced by an old Western TV series he enjoyed as a kid. “I think it’s a role that speaks to a lot of people,” said Pattinson. “It’s about longing for a simpler time in a world that’s become very complicated. And I think the fact that it’s a time when there wasn’t a lot of talking, especially in movies, I think that lends itself to how I’m going to play him. I think it’s important to play somebody who wasn’t always super-smart and super-intelligent. I wanted to play somebody who’s almost dumb, in a way.”

Pattinson’s Favorite Gunslinger

Although he’s never shot a gun in his life, the British actor still managed to find the right vintage piece of Americana for his role. The film’s posters and trailer both feature a 6-shooter revolver, a type of firearm that was in wide use during that time period. In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Pattinson described his favorite gunlinger as follows:

  • One of the great things about the gunfighter genre and the Old West is that they usually used real guns.
  • I really like these old, classic pieces of Americana, and I really wanted to use a 6-shooter, so that when people saw the movie, they would think it was authentic.
  • I think it’s great when movies try to retain that authenticity as much as possible, especially in the era of CGI effects and digital manipulation.
  • I really liked playing somebody who’s almost dumb, in a way. He’s a more traditional kind of guy… He doesn’t really need to be that smart because he’s got this skill. He’s got this talent. He’s basically a natural-born killer.
  • I like that there wasn’t a lot of talking in the movie because I think it makes it easier to believe that this is what people said at the time. It’s easier to believe that these guys didn’t have a lot of dialogues. It makes it more realistic. It adds to the movie I think. It makes it more real. These are real guns! This isn’t some futuristic gun or some magical gun.