Report: Robert Pattinson Is Officially The New Batman For Warner Bros.

Since appearing in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and like 27 Twilight movies, Robert Pattison has largely stayed away from blockbusters, instead choosing challenging roles in acclaimed indies like Good Time, The Lost City of Z, High Life, and the upcoming The Lighthouse. But the actor is returning to his franchise roots to play the Dark Knight in Matt Reeves’ The Batman.

It was reported earlier this month that Pattinson was the frontrunner to step into the Batsuit, following Ben Affleck’s exit from the DC Universe, and now it’s all but official. According to Deadline, Warner Bros. was “torn between him and Nicholas Hoult, and wanted both of the actors on tape because this is such a big decision on a cornerstone franchise. Those meetings happened yesterday, and the decision was made.” Hoult, best known for playing Beast in the X-Men series and screaming about lovely days in Mad Max: Fury Road, was “impressive,” but Pattinson “will be the guy and negotiations will get underway any moment… Expect an announcement imminently.” It’s reportedly at least a three-picture deal: The Batman and two more films after it.

The Batman, which will follow Bruce Wayne in “the formative stages of Batman” (Pattinson is 33 years old), is scheduled to be released on June 25, 2021.