The Batman’s Opening Scene Details Teased By Robert Pattinson

Robert Pattinson says that he has seen The Batman‘s opening scene, teasing its detective story inspirations and how it stands apart from prior films. He is the latest actor to take on the role of the Dark Knight, starring as Bruce Wayne in Matt Reeves’ new take on the character. Pattinson stars alongside Zoé Kravitz, Paul Dano, Jeffrey Wright, Colin Farrell, and Andy Serkis.

Following the departure of Ben Affleck from directing and starring in what would have been the DCEU’s first solo Batman film, Reeves worked alongside Warner Bros. to introduce a fresh, new interpretation of the character separate from DC’s current main film continuity, taking the character back from Affleck’s older, grizzled and somewhat jaded caped crusader to a Batman in the early days of his crime-fighting career. Casting Pattinson in the lead role, Reeves’ take on the character has been a big topic of discussion from fans, as the actor teases his drastically different portrayal when compared to those who have come before. Ahead of the film’s release in March, Pattinson has teased fans how his and Reeves’ Batman tale opens.

Speaking to GQ for a profile exploring his unpredictable career, Pattinson revealed that he has seen a rough cut of The Batman ahead of its release. While he didn’t delve into too many details, Pattinson called the film’s opening jarring when compared to other cinematic Batman adventures. The actor then reflected on his first meeting with Reeves, saying that the director compared his take to Francis Ford Coppola’s The Conversation. Though Pattinson initially thought that Reeves was referring to the film to use as an inspiration to find his film’s tone, the star soon realized that Reeves was committed to making The Batman truly a detective story. Check out Pattinson’s full recollection below.

“I watched a rough cut of the movie by myself. And the first shot is so jarring from any other Batman movie that it’s just kind of a totally different pace. It was what Matt was saying from the first meeting I had with him: ‘I want to do a ’70s noir detective story, like The Conversation.’ And I kind of assumed that meant the mood board or something, the look of it. But from the first shot, it’s, Oh, this actually is a detective story….”

While Pattinson wasn’t familiar with the hero’s detective side, Reeves has been vocal about the film pulling inspirations from his earliest days working on the project. In 2017 when promoting War for the Planet of the Apes, the director opened up about his vision for his Batman story. As well as stating that he hoped to take a noir-like detective approach to the character, Reeves also emphasized that he would explore the character in a more in-depth, personal way, allowing the audience to be able to get inside of Pattinson’s Batman’s head.

While most Batman films have pivoted towards capturing the crime-fighting, action-heavy aspects of the character, Reeves and Pattinson have emphasized how their adaptation will stand out from prior films. From a less-suave, Kurt Cobain-like Bruce Wayne to an investment in exploring the detective side of the hero’s career, Pattinson’s Batman is shaping up to a slower, more psychological exploration of the character. Despite this, The Batman isn’t lacking in spectacle, with trailers highlighting the brutal new Batmobile and Pattinson’s more volatile crimefighting. With this, Reeves’ DC adventure is shaping up to be a standout film in the modern superhero genre.