What Robert Pattinson’s Batman Can Learn From Previous Movie Versions

The Batman will see Robert Pattinson step into the Dark Knight role, and with so many on-screen incarnations of the character there's a lot to be learned from previous movie versions. Matt Reeves' Batman reboot is set to debut in 2021, bringing a noirish twist to the character and reportedly playing up his detective skills. The Batman will see Robert Pattinson playing a younger version of the caped crusader in the early stages of his career, and will establish the DCEU's primary Batman going forward. And while it won't be competing directly with the Dark Knight trilogy, there's a lot riding on its success.

Batman movies have generally fared well, despite some missteps. The iconic anti-hero was bringing in huge box office results even before Marvel's MCU dominated the multiplex. In fact, Tim Burton's Batman (1989) is credited with helping to define the superhero genre. The two sequels, Batman Returns and Batman Forever fared similarly well at the box office. It was only with the problem-plagued Batman & Robin that the franchise took a nosedive. But Batman has since proven to be a valuable cinematic property, particularly with Christopher Nolan's acclaimed Dark Knight trilogy. Now, following Ben Affleck's departure from the role, Pattinson has been tasked with once again revamping Batman for a modern audience.

With so many incarnations of the character out there, Pattinson and Reeves certainly have enough material to learn from. In fact, the theatrical portrayals of the Dark Knight provide somewhat of a handbook on the dos and don'ts of playing Batman. It seems The Batman is already learning from the DCEU's early mistakes but here's everything Pattinson's Batman can learn from previous movie versions.

Michael Keaton

Prior to Tim Burton's Batman, the only theatrical version of the character audiences had seen was Adam West's playful take on the caped crusader. But Michael Keaton's thoughtful, laconic Batman proved that a dark and gritty take on the character could not only work, but could prove massively popular while staying faithful to Batman's origins as a guardian of the night. He also had some truly impressive Batsuits and the original, perfectly understated Batman voice.

One of the main strengths of Keaton's version, who'll soon be returning for The Flash in 2022, was the calm energy he exuded. If Reeves and Pattinson are going to play up Batman's intelligence and cunning as a detective, the actor would do well to emulate some of the cool self-assuredness Keaton brought to the role – particularly in 1992's Batman Returns. The sequel to Batman, saw Keaton's Dark Knight face off against the Penguin and his assortment of grotesque circus thugs. But throughout the movie, he stays collected even when confronted with goons twice his size, dispatching fire breathing henchmen, and generally thwarting Penguin's plans at every turn - even if he does kill a hell of a lot of bad guys in the process.

Compare that with Bale's Batman in The Dark Knight Rises, who seems to be constantly outdone by his adversaries at every turn, even getting knifed in the ribs by the movie's end, and Keaton's Batman looks like a model of superhero self-confidence. If Pattinson wants to really convey his intellectual prowess, a similarly calm and rational demeanor would cement his version of Batman as one worthy of the hero label. He'd also do well to keep the subtle Batman voice. Maybe he should keep the cold-blooded murder to a minimum, though.

Val Kilmer

There's no doubt Val Kilmer's impressive jawline suited the famous cowl, but there was more to this mid-90s Batman than looks. The underrated Batman Forever is remembered fondly among some fans, but generally thought to be an average entry in the franchise. Even so, there's no doubt Kilmer's measured performance brought some much-needed solemnity to Joel Schumacher's neon-soaked Gotham. Similarly to Keaton, Kilmer's Batman never seemed overwhelmed by the threats he faced, managing to embody the strength of mind a highly-trained hero should exhibit.

But he also brought a vulnerability to the role, with his Bruce Wayne seeming genuinely damaged by the loss of his parents in a way that Keaton's broody Wayne didn't. If Pattinson can embody the kind of vulnerability Kilmer brought to Bruce Wayne – even if Kilmer did quit after one movie – while maintaining a similarly composed demeanor as the Dark Knight, that will no doubt go a long way to giving his character some depth while enhancing his believability as an intellectually superior and confident Batman.

George Clooney

George Clooney has publicly apologized multiple times for his take on Batman, and for good reason. Batman & Robin is remembered as a historic blunder not just as a Batman movie, but as a movie in general. Schumacher's second effort really played up the camp, sacrificing any redeeming qualities in the process. It's no wonder modern DCEU movies will make it so Batman & Robin isn't canon. And Clooney's performance didn't do much to save the film from itself.

Doing away with the Bat-branded credit cards and infamous Bat-nipples would be a good start here, but it seems unlikely Reeves and Pattinson are using Batman & Robin as a major inspiration for their noir tale anyway. In general, the movie is a lesson in how too many villains can spoil a narrative and how a tongue-in-cheek tone serves only to undermine a Batman movie from the outset. But if Pattinson can take one thing from Clooney's portrayal, it's his convincing Bruce Wayne businessman persona. Everything else, he can pretty much ignore.

Christian Bale

Bale will always be fondly remembered for his portrayal of the Dark Knight. His appearances in Nolan's celebrated trilogy were part of what made that particular saga one of Batman's best on-screen runs. Bale brought a depth to the character, aided by Nolan's attempt to chart Bruce Wayne's transformation from man to hero in more detail than any other cinematic treatment of the Dark Knight. Matt Reeves is avoiding an origin story with The Batman, so that's off the table for Pattinson. But he could learn a lot from Bale's ability to convey the emotional trauma of Wayne losing his parents, the process of dealing with that trauma, and the eventual transformation into Batman by using fear as his main weapon against criminals. Bale also nailed the duality of Batman, embracing the playboy persona Wayne uses to throw people off from discovering his alter-ego – something no other on-screen Batman has really focused on.

Pattinson, whose slight figure is more reminiscent of Keaton than it is Bale's bulky frame, would do well to follow Bale in playing up the fear aspect as part of his arsenal of weapons against crime. Using more cerebral tactics to intimidate his enemy would fit well with the more intellectual approach Pattinson and Reeves are said to be taking with their detective-focused Batman. A similar appreciation for playing Wayne as a vacuous trust-fund type would also play well in Reeves' reportedly more grounded vision, where it's likely Pattinson's Wayne will have to take these practical concerns into consideration. On the other hand, he'd be well-advised to tone down the meme-fodder that was Bale's Batman voice.

Ben Affleck

Ben Affleck's Batman in Batman V Superman and Justice League was a much more grizzled incarnation than any other version. The Batman of Snyder's two DCEU outings shares much in common with the Batman of Frank Miller's legendary The Dark Knight Returns comic book. In other words, Affleck's Batman had seen things – symbolized by the defaced suit of a dead Robin that hangs in his Batcave. Batfleck, especially in Batman V Superman, plays a much more viscious Dark Knight than fans had seen before, branding criminals with a Bat-symbol and generally having little care for who gets hurt in his defence of Gotham.

Pattinson's Batman will have little in common with Affleck's, being a much younger version of the character. As such, he'll want to ensure he doesn't mimic any of the jaded demeanor that Affleck brought to the role. It might also be a good call to tone the brutality down if Pattinson's Bat is supposed to rely more on his detective skills than physical prowess. That said, there's some elements of Affleck's portrayal that Pattinson could carry over to his. For one, the Affleck Batman is something of a strategist who did a significant amount of detective work in his two movies, following leads, going undercover, and doing just as much work as Bruce Wayne as he does as Batman to reach his goals. That's something we'll surely see a lot of when the detective of The Batman arrives next year.

Next: The Batman Story: Everything We Know About The Movie's Plot