Robert Pattinson’s role as Edward Cullen in the $3.4 billion franchise, The Twilight Saga, established him as one of the most famous actors on the planet. Known for his mercurial talent, and doing justice to some of the most offbeat roles, the actor has cemented himself on Holywood’s A-list. While that sounds like a risky strategy, it surely paid handsomely in The King and Tenet star’s case.
The heartthrob, who has dared to be repellant, often gave up rewarding roles during his career, the answers to which still remain a mystery. It was reported that Pattinson turned down James Gunn’s hit, Guardians of the Galaxy, a franchise that grossed more than $1.6 billion worldwide. Pattinson, who wasn’t prepared to become a superhero then, went on to star as Batman in DC’s $772 million blockbuster a few years later.
Robert Pattinson Was A Superstar, Not A Superhero
When Robert Pattinson received international acclaim with Catherine Hardwicke-directed Twilight, based on Stephenie Meyer’s fantasy novel, he paved the way for a franchise that grossed over $3.4 billion worldwide. For directors, the blood-sucking, handsome vampire, with a perfect jawline, was the most bankable actor out there.
After the success of Twilight, Pattinson was offered a role in James Gunn‘s Guardians of the Galaxy, but ironically, while Pattinson was already a superstar in the minds of directors like Claire Denis and Robert Eggers, he didn’t see himself as a blockbuster star of a superhero movie.
During an interview, he said: “The idea of trying that transition after Twilight, I never saw a road in that direction.” Pattinson gave up a lucrative opportunity, only to star in more naturalistic roles like the one in The Lighthouse.
There’s another irony in all of what went down with the forbidden role. Years later, Pattinson picked up Bruce Wayne for Matt Reeves’ The Batman, a character portrayed by legends like Michael Keaton, George Clooney, Christian Bale, and Ben Affleck.
Bruce Wayne’s Role Made Robert Pattinson A Blockbuster Superhero
Robert Pattinson may have hesitated to fit himself in a superhero costume, but when he chose The Batman, his fans knew that he had already compensated for some of the roles he dropped, by choice or misfortune. But again, living up to the caped crusader’s dark psyche was challenging.
Despite being a superstar, it was natural that the new Bruce Wayne was intimidated by his predecessors. During his appearance on Jimmy Kimmel’s show, Pattinson revealed that he was “absolutely terrified” to watch the final cut of the movie.
The DC team felt otherwise. For instance, Cindy Tolan, one of the casting directors of The Batman, said back in time: “It is undeniable that he is a force to be reckoned with.” From doing his homework on the superhero’s psych to nailing Batman’s voice, the actor did end up receiving major critical applause.
The movie grossed over $772 million worldwide, becoming the seventh-highest-grossing film of 2022, as well as the highest-grossing serial killer film. Pattison was slammed for his Batman comments, and it sparked a debate among fans over “Batman’s moral grounding, or lack of it,” something Ben Affleck fans didn’t like.
The Batman is streaming on HBO Max and Amazon Prime Video.
Source: ScreenRant
