Robert Pattinson Is The Batman

The Batfleck era (doesn’t work, does it?) has ended, but the Battinson era has just begun (that works better, I think?).

According to Variety, Robert Pattinson is in negotiations to play the superhero very recently positioned as our second wealthiest in Matt Reeves’s take on the franchise, concisely titled The Batman. Reeves is the filmmaker who brought us the last two Planet of the Apes installments. He’s taking over for Ben Affleck, who passed the reins in 2017. And while nothing has been officially decided yet, Variety says Pattinson is a clear frontrunner, and the deal should be done soon.

Robert Pattinson, of course, is best known for simultaneously starring in and publicly loathing the Twilight films, which has a certain Batman energy to it. He’s going to do just fine, though his complete adequacy for the role will certainly not stop the internet from spending the next year in a lather about it.

Filming on The Batman isn’t set to start until late 2019 or early 2020, and until then Pattinson is also Christopher Nolan’s latest muse in a new film from that former Batman director opening next summer.