It’s unofficially official: Robert Pattinson is the new Batman. While Variety reported a couple of weeks ago that Warner Bros. and director Matt Reeves had found their lead for the reboot The Batman in Pattinson, other trades weren’t so quick to seal the deal. Some noted that Pattinson was simply at the top of the shortlist, while others said Warner Bros. was still deciding between Pattinson and other finalists. Now today, various trade outlets report that the studio has made a final decision after screentesting with Pattinson and the other top finalist, Nicholas Hoult, and they’ve landed on the Twilight actor to be the new face of the franchise.

Warner Bros. has yet to confirm, but final negotiations are expected to get underway shortly—which will also entail signing Pattinson for options on at least two additional Batman films to ensure the actor sticks with the franchise, assuming Reeves’ reboot is successful. Reaction to Pattinson’s potential casting earlier this month was largely positive, and indeed Pattinson is an actor who has proven more than capable at handling a variety of different characters.

lost-city-of-z-robert-pattinson
Image via Amazon Studios

Say what you will about the Twilight franchise, but its two stars—Pattinson and Kristen Stewart—used their success off those films to launch into fascinating careers. Each was able to get challenging independent films like Clouds of Sils Maria, Good Time, Personal Shopper, and The Lost City of Z made with their global recognition instead of simply moving from franchise to franchise. It’s also interesting to see both actors return to blockbuster filmmaking at the same time. Stewart stars in this year’s Charlie’s Angels reboot, and in addition to The Batman Pattinson is next set to lead Christopher Nolan’s new movie Tenet. He'll next be seen onscreen later this year in The Witch director Robert Eggers' new film The Lighthouse, which drew rave reviews from Cannes earlier this month.

Speaking of which, since Pattinson is the man to lead The Batman but is also about to embark on production of Tenet, production on The Batman could be pushed back a bit from the fall 2019 start-date. The film will no doubt still hit its June 25, 2021 release date.

Story details for The Batman are firmly under wraps, but the movie is said to find the Caped Crusader in his formative stages, and indications are that he’ll be squaring off against Penguin and Catwoman as the main villains. Expect more official word soon as the casting process continues on after this lengthy—and worthwhile—search to find the right Batman.

cosmopolis-robert-pattinson
Image via eOne Films
good-time-robert-pattinson-2
Image via A24
twilight-breaking-dawn-part-2-robert-pattinson-kristen-stewart
Image via Lionsgate/Summit