Robert Pattinson Explains Why His Batman Won’t Work in James Gunn’s DCU
If, for some reason, you were still holding out hope that Robert Pattinson might eventually trade Gotham City for James Gunn’s larger DCU, you probably shouldn’t count on it.
The The Batman star has explained why his version of the Dark Knight doesn’t really belong alongside Superman, Guy Gardner, Lobo, and the rest of Gunn’s growing superhero universe.
Nearly four years after DC Studios unveiled its DCU plans, The Brave and the Bold still hasn’t made it to production. That long wait has kept speculation alive that Pattinson’s Batman could somehow be folded into the DCU rather than introducing another Bruce Wayne.
It’s an idea that has become a little easier to imagine as the DCU has expanded. Lanterns, for example, has shown that Gunn’s universe can explore darker corners of the superhero world. Gunn has also discussed the possibility of Pattinson joining the DCU at various points, while Matt Reeves has appeared far less interested in merging the two worlds.
Now Pattinson has offered his own take, and the biggest obstacle for him is the massive difference in tone. During an interview with LADbible, Pattinson was asked how his Batman might affect the DCU, which also happens to feature his Primetime co-star Skyler Gisondo as Jimmy Olsen.
Pattinson joked that he’d "make the other characters more serious." He admitted that the crossover is an "interesting" idea, but explained why Reeves’ version of Bruce Wayne feels too closely connected to the specific world created for The Batman.
"I think it would be kind of tough to have this version of Bruce outside of that world. It's one of the only characters, I guess, because of the length of the shoots, but also it's such a specific kind of [style], the tone of it gets inside you."
For Pattinson, playing Batman isn’t simply a matter of putting on the suit and dropping his voice a few octaves. Spending months inside Reeves’ grim version of Gotham takes a toll.
"I remember that happened to me the last time I did it, it took a while. You’re just in the dark, the whole time. Both mood-wise and light-wise, I can't see anything for like months," he continued. "It does affect you like you feel strange afterwards."
He continues, "It’s so funny, because Gotham is Watford. It’s a shed in Watford. There’s something so destabilising about when you're just, you're in the dark the whole time. mean just for eight months in the dark and you literally have no conception of being connected to anything in the world. [It's] difficult to even maintain your sanity."
That gives you a pretty good idea of why Pattinson sees his Batman as belonging specifically to Reeves’ universe. This Bruce Wayne was created for a grim, grounded crime story, and dropping him into a world populated by Superman, Green Lanterns, and characters like Lobo would require a major tonal shift.
It also means DC Studios still needs its own Batman. The Brave and the Bold remains in development, with Christina Hodson writing the screenplay for The Flash director Andy Muschietti.
Whenever that movie finally comes together, it’s expected to introduce the Batman who will operate within Gunn’s DCU rather than replacing Reeves and Pattinson’s separate franchise.
Pattinson, meanwhile, has plenty of Batman ahead of him without joining another cinematic universe. The Batman: Part II is directed by Reeves from a screenplay he co-wrote with Mattson Tomlin.
The film stars Pattinson alongside Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Colin Farrell, Andy Serkis, Jeffrey Wright, Charles Dance, Jayme Lawson, Gil Perez-Abraham, Sebastian Koch, and Brian Tyree Henry.
The Batman: Part II is currently set to hit theaters on February 18, 2028.
It’s probably for the best that DC keeps these Batmen separate. Pattinson’s Dark Knight works because he inhabits such a specific, oppressive version of Gotham. Watching this Bruce Wayne suddenly stand next to a flying dog or listen to Guy Gardner run his mouth would certainly be entertaining, but it would be a crazy tonal collision.
