Zack Snyder has seemingly given his approval to Robert Pattinson's casting in The Batman. Snyder is responsible for kicking off the DCEU with 2013's Man of Steel. He followed that film up with Batman v Superman, before having to step away from the production of Justice League due to tragic personal circumstances. The superhero team-up film was later completed by Joss Whedon. Though Snyder's influences on the franchise could still be felt in the third act of Patty Jenkins' Wonder Woman, the franchise has since gone in a variety of new directions, including the infinitely more lighthearted Shazam!
It was previously announced that a new incarnation of the Caped Crusader was on the way. Written and directed by War for the Planet of the Apes' Matt Reeves, The Batman would return the character to its roots as a detective and be more noir in tone. It's also believed that the film will feature multiple villains, including Penguin and Catwoman. Speculation was rife for months on who could and should adopt the cape and cowl. After it was announced that it was down to Nicholas Hoult (X-Men: Dark Phoenix) and Pattinson, however, the latter was officially announced as emerging victorious.
Responding to a post by Screen Rant's own Stephen M. Colbert on the social media site Vero, as snapped and posted on Twitter by Sam Parker Metal, Snyder gave an official thumbs up to the news. News of Pattinson's casting has been met with a mixture of backlash and defense of the actor's ability. Pattinson is, after all, perhaps best known for the highly-derided and much-mocked Twilight saga. In the years since, though, Pattinson has remolded himself as a seriously good actor, with widely acclaimed performances in Cosmopolis and Good Time. Whatever side of the fence people sit on, however, it would appear that Snyder is more than onboard.
Snyder himself is currently hard at work on the zombie film, Army of the Dead. Despite being of the same genre, it'll have no connection to Snyder's previous directorial effort Dawn of the Dead. It will, however, star Dave Bautista as a mercenary who tries to pull off the greatest heist in history, in the wake of Las Vegas being overrun with zombies. The film is expected to be released on Netflix sometime in 2020. After that, it's been revealed that Snyder has three other projects in the works. The Batman, meanwhile, is expected to begin filming in December.
Fans of Snyder's work remain extremely passionate, with calls for Warner Bros. to release Snyder's version of Justice League remaining prominent to this day. A new crowdfunding campaign towards those efforts - as well as to raise money for suicide prevention charities - was recently launched. It remains to be seen how these fans will react to Snyder's endorsement. After all, many fans see the new Batman film as a further betrayal of Snyder's vision, despite the fact it'll return Bruce Wayne back to his younger years and may yet still retain continuity with Snyder's DC outings.
As such, the new Batman films will do little to undermine Synder's interpretations of the character. Hopefully, instead, Snyder's endorsement will go some way towards people adopting a more positive view of the casting. After all, both the casting of Ben Affleck and Heath Ledger in Batman movies were widely criticized before turning into standout performances. Whatever the case, however, Snyder appears to be content with the choice. Fans - both skeptical and otherwise - will be able to see whether Pattinson lives up to it and how well he embodies the role when The Batman hits theaters in 2021.
Source: Sam Parker Metal
