Robert Pattinson adds a somber touch to the new “Batman”

Robert Pattinson had never been interested in playing a superhero on the big screen until Ben Affleck stepped down from his role as Batman, opening up an unexpected vacancy.

After a decade working on arthouse movies, the “Twilight” heartthrob requested a meeting with the filmmakers responsible for revitalizing the night watchman franchise.

“He sought me out. And at some point in that meeting, he brought up the Batman theme,” producer Dylan Clark told AFP.

Although Pattinson, now 35, seems to be “a little suspicious” of the idea of ​​facing “a big production from a big studio” again, he was “genuinely interested in the character of Batman and Bruce Wayne. Clark said.

“And he has that jaw, which helps a lot!” he added.

The result is “The Batman”, which opens next week in Latin America, starring Pattinson and directed by Matt Reeves, Clark’s collaborator in “Planet of the Apes: Confrontation” (2014).

In this new edition, Bruce Wayne is in his second year as Batman, and he still hasn’t earned the trust of the citizens of Gotham City, or his police.

The vigilante played by Pattinson is still trying to structure his tactics and define his motivations to follow the criminals of the dystopian city, and his famous bat-tools to catch villains are just prototypes.

Compared to Christopher Nolan’s trilogy starring Christian Bale, “The Batman” stands out for its somber tone.

Batman himself is almost depressing, partially inspired by Kurt Cobain, the late lead singer of Nirvana, whose music features prominently on the film’s soundtrack.

Pattinson, coming off a supporting role in Christopher Nolan’s sci-fi blockbuster “Tenet,” “wanted to play a role that was physical,” Clark said.

“What he didn’t know is that Matt’s script would take his character through a physical and emotional journey and really test him.”

“Discontent”

This Batman, according to Clark, “is a shadowy hero, who can seem like an anti-hero at times. Revenge is definitely what drives him.”

In this film, the masked man pursues the Riddler (Paul Dano), a serial killer who resembles the sinister style of the Zodiac Killer.

Riddler claims to be moved by a sense of justice against Gotham City’s corrupt elite and their crimes, attracting a mass following among the city’s disaffected and disaffected.

“Matt wrote this script two years before we went into production (in 2020). I think he was looking at the world and our landscape and the things that were happening,” Clark said.

“The best part about Gotham City is that it reflects our societies. And I think it’s a representation of what these people are feeling, and are unhappy about.”

Although Clark insists that they are not trying to get into politics, the film gets the message across that “the world needs to have faith in its elected officials.”

“Terrifying”

Pattinson wears the cape left behind by Affleck, whose portrayal of Batman in two films based on DC comics (“Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” and “Justice League”) had a cold reception among fans. .

Affleck had written, and was also due to direct, a solo Batman movie, but backed out of the franchise following difficult times in his personal life, including his battle with alcoholism and his divorce from actress Jennifer Garner.

“We hit a transition point,” Clark explained.

“DC had to move on. And Ben, I think he was reflecting on his life and where he wanted to be, and he made that decision on his own.”

Searching for a new Batman allowed the filmmakers to work on a “new take” on the franchise that has been around in one form or another for eight decades.

“Matt’s idea was ‘let’s introduce this new Batman in a position he’s never been seen before,'” Clark noted.

“It’s an exciting proposition, but it’s also a terrifying one,” he added.

“You have to do it with ambition because of the title, the character, the story,” Clark said. “The stake is, ‘Try to make a great Batman or we’ll hate you.'”

Source-listindiario.com