ROBERT PATTINSON Wary of Potential “TWILIGHT”-Like Fandom Excitement at His Casting for 2021’s “THE BATMAN”

When British actor Robert Pattinson was cast by Summit Entertainment for their 2008 film adaptation of the teen vampire novel “Twilight,” he was just three years past from his first movie outing as Cedric Diggory in “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire,” when he was age 18. If he thought being a Potter-character drew lots of fans to him, he would be caught off guard by the sheer fandom obsession he got for playing the hottest eternally-17-year-old angst-ridden vampire in recent fiction. While he gamely played Edward for all installments of the “Twilight” saga, Pattinson felt drained by the fame accompanying the prized role.

Which is why, as IGN tells it, Robert Pattinson is keeping a wary out for hyper fans in the wake of the announcement by Warner Bros. Pictures that he has been cast as Bruce Wayne and his Dark Knight alter ego for “The Batman.” This tendency for the actor to become a fan magnet for famous roles was somewhat mitigated by Robert after the last “Twilight” film “Breaking Dawn: Part 2” (2012) by only working on less-prominent and small-budget projects. But there is no doubt he will be in the spotlight again, as the latest actor to interpret a member of the DC Comics Trinity.

Pattinson laid out his concerns for a resurgence of rabid fandom during an interview last Sunday, December 1, by Willie Geist on NBC’s “Today.” He notes that replicating the fan craze phenomenon he had to live through during the heyday of Summit’s “Twilight” films was not going to be possible in this day; however he is still hoping that playing Batman for Warner Bros. will not mean the return of “people hanging outside” his home.

.@WillieGeist’s guest on Sunday TODAY this weekend will be actor #RobertPattinson, who shared his feelings on being the latest star to tackle the role of Batman. pic.twitter.com/mtYWyz1JYF

— TODAY (@TODAYshow) November 29, 2019

“The Batman” is the planned 10^th film in Warner Bros. Pictures and DC Films’ DC Extended Universe franchise of superhero films. Around the time of the movie’s release however, the DCEU will no longer be slavishly following the tight inter-film story continuity that has defined their rival production from Disney and Marvel Studios: the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) which is entering its story “Phase 4.”

Matt Reeves serves as director of the film and writer with Mattson Tomlin. Robert Pattinson plays Bruce Wayne/Batman alongside confirmed cast members Zoe Kravitz (Catwoman), Andy Serkis (Alfred), Jeffrey Wright (Commissioner Gordon), John Turturro (Carmine Falcone) and Paul Dano (Riddler). Collin Farrel and Jayme Lawson are also in talks, the former to play the Penguin. The film is set to premiere in June of 2021.

Image courtesy of Today Show