Get Your First Look At Robert Pattinson's Batman
Look, up there, in the sky. It's not a bird, it's not a plane — why, it's Robert Pattinson's Batman, at last suited up and suitable to be viewed by the masses' eager eyes!
On February 13, The Batman director Matt Reeves took to Twitter to share the first camera test for his upcoming noir-driven comic book adaptation, in which Pattinson plays the titular protector of Gotham City and all-around ace detective. A 55-second teaser originally uploaded to Vimeo, the clip is the first legitimate look at "Battinson," the English actor's take on the iconic DC Comics hero.
It doesn't show very much of Pattinson's face, but what the video lacks in direct face-time, it makes up for in epic slow-motion pans of Pattinson's Batman suit. The clip is soaked in red light, and begins with Pattinson walking toward the camera as it focuses on the bat insignia emblazoned on his costume. As he turns to one side, the camera situated in a tight shot of Pattinson's chest, we get a peek of the shoulder pieces of the new suit and a taste of the Battinson cape. Then, thanks to a slight upward tilt of the camera, the lower half of Pattinson's face comes into focus, with the upper half shielded by his Batman mask.
Given the day it was dropped and its candy-red color palette, this first video of Pattinson's Batman could be something of a Valentine's Day present from Reeves and the folks at Warner Bros. Pictures.
Possible inspiration behind Robert Pattinson's Batman suit
From our vantage point, it looks as though the film's team may have been inspired by Batman: Arkham Knight, Arkham Origins, and/or Batman: Gotham Knight when coming up with the new suit's design.
The short video shows a mechanical-looking Batman logo, and in the 2015 action-adventure game Batman: Arkham Knight, the Batsuit armor pieces (including the logo) would mechanically tighten, align, or separate depending on what Batman wanted to do. Arkham Origins featured several different shoulder armor options for the Batman suit that look similar to what's shown in the camera test clip Reeves shared online. And in Batman: Gotham Knight, the 2008 anthology film comprised of animated superhero shorts, Batman rocked a popped collar (plus a chin guard not shown here), which appears to be what Pattinson's hero will do in The Batman.
Regardless of how exactly the costume came together and what pieces of past Batman media the movie's creatives might have referenced, the important thing is that Pattinson loves how it looks. Speaking with Yahoo Entertainment in October 2019, Pattinson briefly gushed about his Batsuit: "Matt has got a really awesome idea about it. I think this thing is going to be very, very cool."
How people feel about this glimpse at Robert Pattinson's Batman
Luckily for everyone involved in The Batman, reactions to the first camera test of Pattinson in his Batsuit have been overwhelmingly positive.
ComicBook.com's Brandon Davis wrote in response to Reeves' tweet, "IT'S BEAUTIFUL." YouTuber and podcast host Eddy Burback was so impressed with the video that he asked for Reeves' hand in marriage, writing, "matt will you marry me[?]" Awards Ace editor-in-chief Erick Weber tweeted "CAN WE MAGICALLY MAKE IT 2021" after watching the camera test of Pattinson as Batman, while ReelBlend podcast co-host wrote to Reeves, "Thank you, sir. Hell yes."
Fans have reacted similarly, tweeting out GIFs of people screaming with glee and straight-up yelling to express just how happy they were with the test footage. One user tweeted, "Thank you Matt Reeves. I was like legit dying for Batman news. Yes!! Let's freaking go!!" Another wrote, "MATT REEVES .. I owe you my life. This is magnificent. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you."
Yet another fan was particularly intrigued by the finer details of the suit, the forthcoming story they seem to tease, and the prospect of how the costume would hold up over the course of The Batman and beyond: "The textures. The stitches. It's amateur, it's handmade. It's just past the beginning of the Bat. It's so beautiful. I can't even imagine how the suit is going to damage/evolve through the course of the movies."
It's plain to see people are giddily picking up what Reeves is putting down, and though The Batman is still incredibly far out from its June 25, 2021 release date, this first look at Robert Pattinson's iteration of the character promises even better things to come as the film gets closer to flying into theaters. Expectations are high and the standard is now set — it looks like it's only up from here for The Batman.