Fans Are Petitioning to Remove Robert Pattinson From ‘The Batman’

The only thing fanboys love more than gatekeeping and dropping in to “Well, actually” is having trash takes on movies. If it isn’t Ghostbusters lovers writing off reboots before so much as a scene has been shot, it’s Batman defenders up in arms over a seemingly solid casting. There are now multiple petitions asking DC to remove Robert Pattinson from the upcoming movie The Batman, after he was announced as the likely inheritor of Bruce Wayne’s cape and cowl.

Though none of the petitions have garnered a serious number of signatures (the most popular has just shy of 5,000 supporters), they all seem to think that Pattinson would ruin their favorite superhero. This seems to be based largely on the fact that Pattinson once played a vampire in a romance franchise made for teenagers, as none of the petitions call out Pattinson’s record of strong indie roles like Good Time and Cosmopolis. 

Pattinson’s acting ability is well known among people who are paying attention. He’s earning rave reviews at Cannes for his turn in The Lighthouse, Robert Eggers’ follow-up to his itchy, Puritan horror flick The Witch. 

“His eyes grow feral and wide, made even larger by the black and white of the film, which spill like ink across the actors’ faces. When, at a pivotal moment, [Pattinson’s] Ephraim simply begins to scream, the actor’s facial contortions seem to cause the whole frame of the film to shake.” explains a representative review of his performance, from Polygon‘s Karen Han.    

All this buzz will likely counteract the howling of DC fans, as Warner Bros. decides whether or not to move forward with the actor.