Robert Pattinson Wants To Push Batman To His Absolute Limits

Battinson is ready to get crazy.

The latest actor to step into the cape and cowl of Bruce Wayne, Robert Pattinson, said in a recent interview that he's keen to take the character to some pretty dark places in Matt Reeves' upcoming flick The Batman, and he's pretty sure his director has his back (Empire Magazine via Heroic Hollywood)

In case you're not aware, Pattinson has spent the last several years since starring in the YA Twilight franchise proving that he's not only a serious actor, but perhaps one of the best of his generation. Intense turns in the 2017 crime thriller Good Time, the 2018 sci-fi drama High Life, and most recently the psychological horror flick The Lighthouse (opposite the great Willem Dafoe) have illustrated that Pattinson is more than capable of pulling off heavy, demanding roles, and his remarks regarding his approach to playing the Dark Knight suggest that it's a job he's keen to bring every bit of those formidable acting chops to. The only real limit, so far as he's concerned, is the fact that the film will be rated PG-13.

"The only thing that's more complicated is the rating," Pattinson told Empire. "As soon as you make something an R-rated movie, you're freed up to do so much stuff. In terms of the character itself, I want to push it as far as it possibly can go, and I think Matt Reeves does as well. You can do crazy stuff with that part."

You certainly can, and Pattinson has indicated early and often that his approach to the role can be described as "deadly serious." For one thing, the actor — who, by his own admission, has never been a big fan of exercising — cultivated a new outlook on hitting the gym while preparing for the role.

In an interview while doing the promotional rounds for The Lighthouse, the star said, "I used to hate working out... it's weird. In my 30s, I really like it now. I find it very meditative... when you feel like someone's not forcing it on you, it a very, very different experience, right? So, I like working out... I'm weirdly looking forward to [getting in shape for The Batman]."

For another thing, Pattinson has often indicated that Batman's psychological complexity is what attracted him to the character, and — considering that Reeves has described his film as "point-of-view driven" — it seems likely that the actor's take on the character will take us deeper into the inner workings of the Caped Crusader's troubled mind than previous film incarnations have.

In a New York Times interview last year, Pattinson described his take on Batman, which is a bit of an unconventional one. "Batman's not a hero," he said. "He's a complicated character. I don't think I could ever play a real hero — there's always got to be something a little bit wrong. I think it's because one of my eyes is smaller than the other one... His morality is a little bit off. He's not the golden boy, unlike almost every other comic-book character. There is a simplicity to his worldview, but where it sits is strange, which allows you to have more scope with the character."

It seems to us that you don't hire an actor capable of portraying extreme psychological instability and intensity to portray your Batman if you want a more conventional take on the character, and while we know thanks to comments made by Reeves early last year that The Batman will focus more on Bruce Wayne's role as the World's Greatest Detective than prior film versions have, we think it's safe to say that the upcoming flick will take a few chances in exploring what really makes ol' Bats tick. We can only guess at the overall tone Reeves will be going for, but recent remarks made by actor Peter Sarsgaard — who has been cast in the film in an undisclosed role — may help clue us in.

Speaking at a Television Critics' Association presser, Sarsgaard said, "It seems different from other Batman movies to me, just with the cast. There's something about it that has an edge, it's young. To me, just my perception of it, it reminds me of when I was in college, and I went to go see the Pixies play, and looking around and feeling the vibe at a Pixies concert... it has the energy and that sort of thing, and isn't so specifically targeted to a very young audience, or a very old audience, but has that power of chaos in it" (via CinemaBlend).

The more those involved talk about this movie, the more excited we get. In addition to Pattinson and Sarsgaard, the flick stars Zoë Kravitz as Catwoman, Paul Dano as the Riddler, Colin Farrell as the Penguin, John Turturro as Carmine Falcone, Jeffrey Wright as Jim Gordon, and Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth. The Batman hits theaters on June 25, 2021.