"THE BATMAN" Director Shares ROBERT PATTINSON SCREEN TEST in COSTUME

The fandom of British actor Robert Pattinson, who might still see him primarily as vegetarian vampire Edward Cullen from the “Twilight” saga, were understandably surprised when in June last year he was cast by Warner Bros. Pictures for a new DC superhero movie adaptation of “The Batman.” For most of his earlier acting career he has been a magnet for die-hard fans, whether he was Bella Swan’s boyfriend or the tragic teen wizard Cedric Diggory. Surely the glee would return tenfold now that he is the latest Bruce Wayne/Batman actor. One needs only to look at his costume test footage.

Comic Book Resources tells us that Matt Reeves, the director for Warner Bros. Pictures and DC’s “The Batman” movie has shared the first little peek at lead star Robert Pattinson dressed in the newest live-action iteration of the iconic costume of the Dark Knight. Reeves uploaded test footage of the Bat-suited Pattinson on Vimeo then shared the video on his official Twitter page, which has cemented itself as a go-to source for up-to-date info on the film’s production. The brief video merely showed the costumed actor walking towards the camera under red lighting, with strains from music by Michael Giacchino (MCU, “Up”) in the background.

#TheBatman#CameraTesthttps://t.co/M1tAE2aTA1

— Matt Reeves (@mattreevesLA) February 13, 2020

The casting of Pattinson for the new “Batman” solo movie came about after Ben Affleck, who portrayed the character for the DC Extended Universe franchise since “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,” stepped down from the role and from any behind-the-scenes involvement in the project. Reeves was selected to take over Affleck as director first, then went on to co-rewrite and produce the film as a standalone adventure and not another origin story of the Dark Knight (as already done by Tim Burton and Christopher Nolan in their respective trilogies).

In addition to Robert Pattinson, other casting confirmations by Matt Reeves for “The Batman” include Colin Farrell as Oswald Cobblepot/Penguin, Paul Dano as Edward Nygma/Riddler, Zoe Kravitz as Selina Kyle/Catwoman, plus new additions Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth, Jeffrey Wright as Commissioner Gordon, and Peter Saarsgard as Gil Colson. Comments on the screen test for Pattinson point out that his costume’s “armored” look and redesigned bat-logo seemingly evoke the imagery of the recent “Batman: Arkham” action games from Rocksteady Studios, as well as questioning the design quirk of giving his cowl a collar. “The Batman” premieres next year, June 2021.

Image courtesy of Slash Film