Robert Pattinson Has Finally Officially Been Chosen as 'The Batman,' Replacing Ben Affleck

• Robert Pattinson has officially been cast as the new Bruce Wayne/Batman.
• He will star in director Matt Reeves' upcoming film The Batman, replacing Ben Affleck
• The Batman is scheduled to hit theaters on June 25, 2021.

There's a new caped crusader in town, folks, and he used to be a vampire.

Robert Pattinson was officially approved to play Batman in a Warner Bros. meeting on Friday, according to a report from Deadline. The studio had been deciding between Pattinson and Nicholas Hoult, and requested that both tape an audition before making a final decision. Pattinson was considered the frontrunner for weeks, since he was supposedly the preferred choice of director Matt Reeves, but the selection from the studio became official today.

The idea that Pattinson could play Batman was first reported about two weeks ago in an exclusive report from Variety. Reeves' film The Batman, and any proceeding sequels, won't carry on with any of Ben Affleck's work in the role in Batman v Superman or Justice League, but is expected to be a part of a larger D.C. Extended Universe. It will be interesting to see how the films rationalize that (if at all).

The Batman is due out in June 2021, and Pattinson, 33, will be the second youngest Bruce Wayne, behind only Christian Bale, who starred in Batman Begins at age 31. Other actors who've donned the cape on the big screen include Affleck, Will Arnett (in Lego form), George Clooney, Val Kilmer, Michael Keaton, and Adam West.

For anyone who still primarily associates Pattinson with the Twilight role that started his career, it's certainly worth taking a look at what he's been up to over the last several years—his most recent turn was an arthouse space drama from acclaimed director Claire Denis, High Life.

In particular, I'd hone in on Good Time, an absolutely insane A24 movie that was released back in 2017 (It's also available to stream right now for Amazon Prime members). That film plays like something of a modern day, drug-and-crime-fueled retelling of Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, and runs 100 miles-per-hour from start to finish—powered entirely by Pattinson's energetic and eccentric lead performance.

Pattinson has also been cast in a lead role in the upcoming top-secret movie from Christopher Nolan, a former Batman director (The Dark Knight trilogy) himself. That movie was recently revealed to be a "spy thriller" called Tenet, and will be released in July 2020. According to Pattinson, the script is "unreal."

The actor also will star in an upcoming film called The Lighthouse, a horror from director Robert Eggers and the much-adored A24 studio. There's not a ton of details out there about this movie (though it premiered at last week's Cannes Film Festival), but Pattinson stars alongside Willem Dafoe, and, I mean... just look at them together. I dare you to not be sold by this image alone:

While Twilight is... its own thing (Pattinson himself once said that he would "mindlessly hate" that franchise if he were an average moviegoer), Pattinson was exceptional as a hero in another franchise in one of his earliest roles, playing the talented wizard Cedric Diggory in 2005's Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. While he's become comfortable in the indie world, it's worth remembering that Pattinson has deep roots and good experience with franchise fare.

Affleck, who appeared as Bruce Wayne/Batman in Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, Suicide Squad, and Justice League, had a tumultuous few years in the role—while his performance was perfectly fine, the movies were not popular with critics. Affleck never seemed super comfortable in the role, and rumors of his exit were prominent for the last few years. He was originally going to write, direct, and star in The Batman, but slowly his role was reduced, to the point where he eventually fully dropped out—though he's still a credited screenwriter in some capacity on IMDB. Affleck officially exited the DCEU back in February.

It'll be exciting to see how the rest of The Batman comes together. Joe Manganiello was originally going to face off with Affleck as the movie's villain, Deathstroke, but clearly much has changed in the time since that plan was first announced back in 2016.

Director Matt Reeves is no stranger to blockbuster fare—he's a frequent collaborator of J.J. Abrams, and has directed huge movies like the original Cloverfield and both Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and War for the Planet of the Apes.

With a strong piece like Pattinson locked in, it'll be interesting to see how Reeves fills out the rest of his cast. As long as the villain isn't played by Taylor Lautner, I think we're on the right track.