Robert Pattinson's career-defining role in The Batman was actually set up by Twilight all along. Once it was announced that Ben Affleck wouldn't be appearing in his own Batman solo movie, the role was recast to Robert Pattinson. Known for his intense indie movies, and that polarizing role as a member of the fanged Cullen clan, this choice was a divisive one. However, Twilight, arguably, prepared him to be one of the best Caped Crusaders in cinema history.
Matt Reeves has stated that Pattinson was in mind to play the role even in the writing process, essentially catering the role to him before he was even asked to do The Batman. Casting Batman is not an easy feat, and backlash is always expected with such a popular character, but critics drew evidence directly from Pattinson's role as Edward in Twilight. Released in 2008, based on the book of the same name, Twilight was a cultural reset for Hollywood. It was immediately targeted due to the fact that its audience was predominantly teenage girls, therefore it was seen as holding little value. Batman, however - and superhero films in general - has historically been targeted towards men, and didn't have to combat the same social preconceptions that Twilight did. However, it was Pattinson's role as the popular vampire Edward which made him perfect for Reeves' Bruce Wayne.
At surface level, both characters are wealthy loners with decent moral compasses (Batman doesn't use guns and avoids killing, and Edward only drinks the blood of animals, not humans,) but upon deeper inspection, it's clear how Edward influenced Pattinson's portrayal of Batman. Both Edward Cullen and Bruce Wayne mirror each other in the same withdrawn style, and they each have near intolerable burdens which have made them retreat into themselves in this way. Bruce and Edward's intentional reclusive nature hint at the inner conflict they're both battling with on the inside, and as Robert perfected this in Twilight, it surely assisted his performance in The Batman.
More than their withdrawn nature, the two share more similarities in the reasoning for their reclusive lifestyles, as they both hate who they are and what they represent. For example, Edward Cullen is grateful to have been kept alive by Carlisle (likely because of his own dark backstory) after he contracted the deadly Spanish influenza at 17 and was close to death, but he still sees himself as a monster. As a result, he's both a loner and hard to deal with, and hasn't come to terms with his condition in the 100 years since he was turned. Even when he cracks and finally decides to be with Bella, he then carries the burden of putting her in direct danger. As a result, Pattinson developed this muted way of speaking for Edward, doing more observing than talking, and displaying his inner conflict through strained and timid body language. All of this can be seen in Robert Pattinson's Bruce Wayne; Bruce hides away, psychologically tormenting himself because of what he is, and is seen by Gotham as a weird hermit - in a similar way to how Forks whispers about the Cullens.
Their hero narratives, too, are comparable. Batman's vigilantism started with an urge to keep Gotham safe, but it soon turned sour as he became a symbol of fear and he saw that the worst of Gotham were using his vigilantism to act on their own ideas of justice, like the Riddler. Bruce carries this unbearable weight with him and is tortured by it, unable to see himself as a true hero. Edward Cullen's feelings about himself and his killer instincts also prevent him from glorifying himself, even though he is morally one of the best out of all the covens in Twilight. They are each the heroes of their stories, but they view themselves as the villain, and Pattinson is able to take this idea further in The Batman due to his similar work in Twilight.
The Batman hinges around Pattinson's portrayal of the Dark Knight, and thus it makes sense to draw from the similarities between Bruce and Edward in order to make this version of the iconic DC superhero feel unique. Edward Cullen was Pattinson's first big Hollywood role, and it put him on the map - but it was also met with immense criticism, which in turn plagued the reception of his casting as Batman, despite the characters bearing so many similarities. The Twilight books even see Bella refer to Cullen as Bruce Wayne after Edward saves her from a skidding car, showing that the pair are thought of as similar even in the Twilight universe. Pattinson undoubtedly took some of what he learned from playing Edward Cullen into The Batman, and that has made him one of the best yet to take on the mantle.
