It has been announced that Robert Pattinson is set to play Batman in Matt Reeves’ upcoming superhero film, titled “The Batman,” slated to release in June 2021. He would be replacing Ben Affleck, who previously played the iconic character in the 2016 film, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

Pattinson will reportedly play the role of a younger, less experienced Batman in the movie. While the negotiations for his role are underway and the deal is expected to be sealed soon, the news hasn’t gone down well with many of the DC fans, as Robert Pattinson has a reputation among superhero fanboys for his cringe-worthy role as Edward Cullen in the Twilight series. He played a vampire in the movies, which is widely regarded as a teen-favourite.

Online petitions to replace Pattinson as Batman have been signed by thousands of people, with one petition on Change.org saying, “Don’t make the Batfleck mistake again. Don’t do it. For the love of all that is holy, stop trashing the DC Universe.” However, some of the actor’s fans have his back. One of them, in response to the trolls, posted, “I’m down with Pattinson as Batman. We’ve discussed this before. He’s paid his dues and worked hard to break free of the Twilight world and has proven to be a strong actor with a distinct presence. I think he’ll do well and I think Reeves will know how to get the best out of him. Robert Pattinson didn’t act his a** off in independent films for the last few years for y’all to freak out because he played a sparkly vampire 10 years ago. Pattinson will do a solid job as Batman under the direction of Matt Reeves. Hell. Nolan even wants to work with him."

Reports suggest that Nicholas Hoult is also up for the role and that a final decision hasn’t been made at Warner Bros. Hoult has already starred in a superhero movie, playing Beast in the X-Men movies. The pre-production on the Warner Bros-DC Comics movie is expected to start later this year.