If you’ve been paying any attention at all to the news over the past few years, you’d know that Hollywood’s A-lister Robert Pattinson has been in the limelight quite a bit. He’s been romantically linked to some of the world’s most beautiful women (such as Gwyneth Paltrow and Kate Winslet), appeared in memorable movies (The Twilight Saga), and generally managed to keep his personal life and career separate from one another. As a result, he’s become one of the most recognized faces in Hollywood, with the help of a legion of fans who’ve been waiting patiently for the day when he’d don his Batman costume and roar at the camera like Jeeves.

Well, that day has finally arrived. Last week, Pattinson donned the famed black and white attire and made his grand entrance at a Batman-themed party in London. Along with a supporting cast that included Christian Bale, Amy Adams, and several other Hollywood stars, the 32-year-old actor strutted his stuff on a stage filled with costumed fans. It was an emotional moment for Pattinson, who revealed that playing Batman has been a lifelong ambition.

Why Play Batman?

It’s been a bit of a rough ride for Pattinson since Twilight. While the first film in the series was a massive global success that earned him countless fans and earned his studio, Summit, a reported $60 million, the sequel and its assorted spinoffs haven’t been nearly as lucky. The studio spent nearly $100 million on advertising and marketing for the first installment of the Twilight Saga, and that didn’t seem to do much good. The latest entry in the series, Twilight Saga: Fall 2021, barely made it to profitability, and even then, only thanks to a tiny budget rebate from the Chinese government.

Batman Has Always Been A Bit Of A Stretch

It’s understandable why Pattinson would want to play Batman. The character has always been associated with luxury brands and expensive foods, and it seems the actor has embraced that. In 2019, he was spotted shopping at Louis Vuitton’s flagship store in London and trying on numerous brands’ luxury goods, including a $14,500 diamond stud and a $19,500 watch. He’s also spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on custom suits. In 2021 alone, he spent more than $350,000 on suits alone, according to a report from TMZ.

Worth It

Although it hasn’t been easy for Pattinson, the actor’s fans apparently aren’t complaining. Last year, he made $21 million from real estate alone, and he’s still one of the most followed and respected actors on Instagram, with more than 150 million followers. If you’re wondering, that’s more than double the number of people following Kevin Durant (79.94 million), LeBron James (77.3 million), and Drake (77.2 million).

Why Do You Think He Had Such A Long Wait Till Tomorrow?

The actor has been hinting at playing Batman for years, and now that he’s finally pulled the trigger, it seems like he had a reason. Pattinson spent more than a decade living in England after graduating from Oxford University, and it was there that he really honed his craft. It was also in London that he began courting future spouse Kate Winslet, who later went on to become his wife. Before she passed away from cancer in 2020, Winslet opened up about their courtship, saying, “I fell in love with him at first sight. I think he’s a very beautiful man.”

The Next Step

Besides the Bat signal, Pattinson will soon be making his grand entrance on the big screen in the highly anticipated adaptation of Roger Zelazny’s classic novel, The Guns of the Pharaohs, which has been in the works for decades. Inspired by reality TV shows such as The Hunger Games and Game of Thrones, the story centers on a deadly competition that pits wealthy playboy knights against each other in a battle for dominance. The movie premieres on July 23rd.

For now, though, it’s on to Batman. And it seems like Mr. Pattinson is up to the task. The actor has already began training for the role, and though he doesn’t want to specify too much about his training methods, he did reveal that he’s working with noted stunt co-ordinator Matty Matheson. The duo apparently traveled to Morocco to work on some of the fight scenes for the film, which are being shot behind the scenes. Hopefully, after all these years, audiences will finally get to see what all the fuss is about.