Now that its been a few weeks since the world learned Robert Pattinson would probably be our next Batman, fans have had a chance to let the news sink in. Some have been in uproar over the casting much in the same way they were about Ben Affleck's due to Pattinson's Twilight past, while others are excited by the choice thanks to his recent impressive performances in several indie films. Although there were rumors as recently as last week that the casting decision was still down to screen-tests in the suit between both Pattinson and Nicholas Hoult, director Matt Reeves has taken to Twitter to confirm the actor's casting. Now with our new Dark Knight set, speculation has already begun as to what we can expect from this new Batman story.
Well for one thing we've learned that its all but confirmed that the film will not be connected to the previous DCEU or any of the films featuring Affleck. While some believed Pattinson could be playing a young version of Affleck's Batman set in the 1990s, this apparently won't be the case. This makes sense as having Reeves work with the limitations of fitting his film and ideas into an already established universe seems problematic. Having this version of Batman take place in the past would also make it nearly impossible to have him interact with any other DC characters, as they wouldn't have come around until years later. With rumors suggesting Henry Cavill may also be out as Superman and DC wanting to focus on solo movies, its possible we may not see Pattinson's Batman come in contact with any heroes outside of Gotham until Reeves' is done with his trilogy.
With this news comes the acceptance that we'll also be seeing the recasting of several Batman supporting characters such as J.K. Simmons' Commissioner Gordon and Jeremy Irons' Alfred Pennyworth, two fan favorites who never had a chance to appear in a solo movie alongside Affleck. It'll be interesting to see who Reeves' decides on for these roles, but we can probably expect them to be younger now that Bruce Wayne himself will be in his early thirties. Rumors have also suggested several members of Batman's rogues gallery will be making an appearance in a Long Halloween style detective story, with Wayne having to figure out which one of his villain was responsible for the murder of a Gotham politician. Reeves has heavily hinted there will be a detective and noir influence throughout the narrative, some rumors have suggested the involvement of The Riddler who is known for setting up clues and riddles for Batman to solve.
This opens the door for several possibilities and character appearances, but apparently the main two Reeves is interested in having headline are Catwoman and The Penguin. The two characters were already paired up on screen in Tim Burton's Batman Returns, but one can expect Reeves' has a very different approach to his versions of these characters. Josh Gad (Frozen) has previously teased that he wants to play The Penguin in The Batman, but its unknown whether he is really in consideration or is just campaigning for the role. The last rumor making the rounds courtesy of Forbes has been that Batman's sidekick Robin may finally make an appearance in the movie, with it possibly being the Dick Grayson first version of the character given how young Wayne will be. It'll be interesting to see who they cast in this role and what age range they're looking for, but I'd like to suggest my picks of either Finn Wolfhard (Stranger Things) or Sunny Suljic (Mid90s).
So what do you think of these characters possibly showing up in The Batman? Is there anyone specific you would like to see cast in these roles? Let us know below!
