Robert Pattinson’s Journey To Donning The Cowl

When it was announced back in May of 2019 that Robert Pattinson would be playing the next Batman, I for one was extremely excited. He was my top choice of the known candidates, and when it was made official I was really pleased by the announcement. Pattinson has established himself as one of the top actors today, and has put together quite the resume. Many people tend to have only seen him Pattinson in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, as well as The Twilight Saga, and have misguided views on him as an actor based on those performances. And while Pattison was never blacklisted by Hollywood by any means, he seemed to have fallen in the cracks as a forgotten star. But since 2011 Pattinson has been in lesser known indie films which is a main reason behind Warner Bros. and Matt Reeves’ decision to make him the next Batman.

He is a very versatile and methodical actor, and every movie role of his that I will be highlighting coming up, give perfect examples of that.

I’ll go over all of his prominent roles and detail various points as to why Pattinson isn’t only a great choice for the Caped Crusader, but why he’s been given the wrong end of the stick by nearly the entire world’s population, who seem to haven’t seen this man in ANYTHING other than Harry Potter and Twilight.

2011- Water for Elephants

Pattinson stars as Jacob, Reese Witherspoon’s character’s newfound lover. Pattinson took the role right after Twilight was beginning to end and seemed like it was going to kickstart his career after Twilight. Well, it didn’t really do that, but it was definitely a role that I’ve remembered fondly, and gave Pattinson one of his first roles opposite a star of Reese Witherspoon’s caliber. We get to see Pattinson’s charm, and his ability to play a strong, lovable character.

2012- Cosmopolis

This is film that I, and many other Pattinson fans, tell skeptics to watch to get a great grasp at what Pattinson could bring to the role of Bruce Wayne. Pattinson stars as Eric Packer, a 28-year-old billionaire who rides across Manhattan in his limo to get a haircut. As the day begins to unfold, Packer’s world comes crashing down as he meets a wide array of characters who change him, for better or for worse. This role really shows what Pattinson will inevitably bring to the Bruce Wayne side of the character. A billionaire playboy.

2014- The Rover

Pattinson stars opposite to Guy Pearce as Rey in this action crime drama. Pearce’s character, 10-years after a global economic collapse spirals the world into an apocalypse, seeks out the men who stole his car. Pearce’s character kidnaps Rey, whose one of those men’s brothers, and the two form an a bond that helps them learn more about themselves along the way. While the film isn’t anything special, like most of Pattinson’s roles dating back to EVERY Twilight film, Pattinson is the best part of the movie. It shows Pattinson playing a loner whose been twisted by this new world, and is a changed man by the time he credits role.

2014- Maps to the Stars

While Pattinson isn’t a lead character, he plays Jerome Fontana, an aspiring actor/writer whose a limo driver by day. He ends up receiving his big break, and hopes to use his life experiences to better his acting career. This role is one that I admire a lot from Pattinson, solely being because he’s been on record numerous times where he’s said that he likes to play roles that “mirror his life in a way.” I see that a lot in this film, and Pattinson brings a lot of heart to the role, enough where you can really see some of the real life man in the fictitious character that he plays.

2015- Queen of the Desert

In this movie Pattinson stars alongside Nicole Kidman and James Franco, as the character T.E. Lawrence. In this film we see a chronicle of Kidman’s Gertrude Bell’s life, where we see different characters from her past. Based on real-life, Lawrence was a British archeologist, army officer, diplomat and writer that Bell came across numerous times. This was one of Pattinson’s roles where he wasn’t the lead, but he captured the film for his scenes. Pattinson took a real-life character and ran with it in a great way that makes me believe that he’ll be able to take a role like Batman, whose been around for 80+ years, and will capture the same kind of magic.

2015- Life

Another real-life character brought back to life by Pattinson, in Dennis Stock, Pattinson stars as a photographer for LIFE Magazine assigned to shoot James Dean. Stock took some iconic shots on Dean back in 1955, and film details their relationship, as well as the untold story of Dennis Stock. The film shows a great way as to how Pattinson can play an already famous man trying to make a name for himself in a new way… Much like how The Batman will be as it takes place in Bruce’s early years as the Dark Knight.

2015- The Childhood of a Leader

Pattinson plays Charles Marker, whose a fascist leader immediately following World War I. The film details his past and plants the seeds for his eventual rise to insanity. This is one of the first films where we get to see Pattinson’s range as a actor. We see him calm and stoic, and suddenly see him in violent outbursts, something we hadn’t really seen from the actor before. Nowadays in his films we see this more often than not, and will surely see it again in The Batman.

2016- The Lost City of Z

The film stars Charlie Hunnam as Percy Fawcett who disappeared in the Amazon during the 1920s while he was in search of a mysterious city. Pattinson plays Henry Costin, Fawcett’s aid on this journey and the two slowly go mad while both alone in the harsh climates of the Amazon Forrest. Yet another film where Pattinson is able to capture a real-life person’s persona and bring it to life in a great way. This character is smart, cunning, and determined, much like Batman the last time I checked.

2017- Good Time

This movie is probably my favorite role of Pattinson’s in his career thus far. Good Time follows Connie Nikas (Pattinson) and his sick journey through New York City’s criminal underworld to free his brother from prison, after he got arrested for a botched robbery. Talk about range, Pattinson is all over the place in this crime thriller drama. The Safdie Brothers’ first major film, and was headlined by Pattinson’s masterful performance as Connie. Anyone who tells me, “Pattinson is a bad actor,” I ask them if they’ve seen this movie… 100% of the time they’ve said no. So I’ve made them watch this film and EVERY time I ask them the same question… And they always change their mind. In other words, if you’re a BATtinson skeptic, watch Good Time before you witness The Batman. It will hype you up!

2018- Damsel

Let me start off by saying that this film is bad, but like almost always, Pattinson shines brighter than anyone involved with the film. The film follows Samuel Alabster (Pattinson) in the Wild West during the 1870s who travels across America to marry the love of his life Penelope, played by frequent Pattinson collaborator Mia Wasikowska. The journey soon turns treacherous and begins to take a tole on Alabster, which was done very well by Pattinson and kept me watching the film. Alabster ended up going on a hero’s journey all along, and had great character growth throughout the film.

2018- High Life

Another bad film that Pattinson was involved with, but I feel like a broken record when I say that Pattinson was, yet again, the best part. This space adventure turned horror mystery follows Pattinson’s character Monte and his daughter who struggle to survive in deep space in pure isolation. Monte generally keeps his cool during horrific times and harsh dealings, which was what made me believe when I saw this film when it came out, that Pattinson would be able to master the role of Batman. Able to keep his cool and to be heroic during hard times, is something that Batman is able to do more often than not.

2019- The Lighthouse

Say what you want about The Lighthouse, but it is undeniably a fascinating film that deals with insanity, horror, and drama in a great way… particularly when it only stars two actors in the span of an hour and fifty minutes. Pattinson’s character Thomas Howard is quickly driven mad by the isolation, and cruel conditions brought upon him by Willem Dafoe’s character Thomas Wake. I saw this film the night that it came out, and my anticipation for it, being Pattinson’s first film since he was cast as Batman, made it one of my most anticipated movies ever at the time. It lived up to the hype for sure, but I was mainly happy to see Pattinson get a starring role in a film that was garnishing a lot of anticipation all around the world, after people seemed to be 50/50 on him playing Batman. I asked probably 30 some odd people after they saw it if they were any more excited for Pattinson to play Batman, and almost everyone said yes.

2019- The King

Pattinson has a brief role in this film, but I decided to mention it solely because of Pattinson’s acting. Pattinson plays the Dauphin, a twisted charismatic man who only sent in his men to battle in the film, but he didn’t fight and didn’t want to for a kid-turned-king. But he decided in the end that it was necessary. This role shows Pattinson’s range as an actor even more: his ability to play a leader, his ability to play a cowardly ruler, and his ability to play crazy. SOME, of which I just described, describes Batman, and all of it just goes to show why he’s a great actor!

2020- Tenet

In Tenet Pattinson plays a character named Neil. A mysterious character who seems like a hero, but his shady ways makes it hard to believe at times. SPOILER ALERT, in the end he reveals to John David Washington’s character known only as the Protagonist, that they’re best friends. In Neil’s time they’ve been friends for years, but their friendship is only getting started for the Protagonist. This role is Batman to a tee if you ask me. Neil is mysterious and has a seemingly endless pocket to help him at times. Being shady in revealing details about his knowledge and who he is, really reminds me of Batman. This movie has been a hit or miss with some people, I love it a lot, but it definitely gave all who watched it a glimpse at Pattinson’s charm, and his ability to act perfectly!

2020- The Devil All the Time

Pattinson plays Reverend Preston, a vile Preacher who uses his ties to God to take advantage of young women in 1960s Ohio. Preston is an easy villain to root against in this film, and Pattinson delivers a really strong performance in arguably the first villain role of his career. His power of words, or seduction really, is something that any actor playing Batman will need to master before they put on the cowl, and Pattinson has locked it down really well, especially in the way he demonstrates it in this film.

These are only 15 of Pattinson’s roles, and I’d say all of them are really strong performances by the rising actor. He’s proven to me over the years, particularly of late, that he’d not only be a great Batman and Bruce Wayne, but that I feel comfortable seeing anything he’s in frankly. He’s managed to become one of my favorite current actors, and is just an easy guy to like and to root for. No superhero casting has ever hit my heart and made me more proud than this one, and I don’t think any will like this again.

There was a time in Pattinson’s life where he didn’t know if he’d even want to act anymore, after the backlash of Twilight, and not getting roles he was trying to get. But he didn’t give up, and a short 10-years later he’s now Batman and seemingly on the top of the world in the acting community. That’s powerful, and it’s extremely motivating. In life we all go through rough patches, especially now during the overbearing COVID-19 pandemic. There’s surely been times in my life where I’ve questioned if what I was doing was the right thing. In part I realized that moving was something that I should do, and I moved nearly 2,000 miles away from home to Colorado, and it’s continuing to look like one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.

Robert Pattinson, since around 2017 after I saw Good Time, has been one of my idols. The film came out after my freshman year of college, an extremely challenging year for me I might add, and I saw this film right before I went back for my sophomore year, which ended being a life-changer for me and one of the best years of my life. Pattinson’s acting in that movie alone caused me to go back and to watch nearly all of his films, to study up on “the Twilight guy,” and made him an inspiration to me. This is in part as to why I’m not only an avid supporter in him and anything he does, but also why people need to look at this man’s career, watch his films, and just feel motivated or happy. He went from the bottom, to the top in just a short decade to eventually secure a role that many actors covet and inspire to reach at some point.

Back in May it was also announced that Pattinson had signed a first-look deal with Warner Bros, spanning across: Warner Bros, New Line Cinema, Warner Bros. Television and HBO Max.

“Warner Bros Pictures and HBO have always been synonymous with groundbreaking filmmaking,” Pattinson said. “I’m thrilled to be working with them to discover the most exciting new voices in film and television and help bring their visions to life. I’ve loved working with the studio over the years and have so much respect for their dedication, their willingness to take chances and their desire to push the envelope creatively.”

The deal is for theatrical, HBO Max, and Warner Bros. Television properties. This will be Pattinson’s first time on the producing side of filmmaking.

Call it a love affair if you want, but this man very well might be my favorite actor. And I get that not every actor’s style is for everyone. I for one don’t like Hugh Jackman 90% of the time, but I can easily see why people love the man’s acting. On the other hand I’m a fan of Jared Leto’s acting, which has been controversial over the years, even though he’s an Oscar winner and has had some pretty damn great roles dating back to American Psycho. We all have preferences, likes and dislikes, but greatness needs to be appreciated when it’s due, and it’s long overdue the time that people get with the program when it comes to Robert Pattinson.

You can see The Batman March 4, 2022, in theaters, and possibly on HBO Max.