New poll says Robert Pattinson was the right choice as Batman ... for millennials, at least

When Warner Bros. announced that Twilight star Robert Pattinson would be donning the cape and cowl of The Batman in director Matt Reeves’ planned upcoming trilogy, some vociferously expressed their disapproval (to be fair, this isn’t anything new). But according to a new poll, it appears that fans are in fact liking the idea of Pattinson taking on the role of the Caped Crusader — or at least, the younger fans are liking it.

Results of a new poll from The Hollywood Reporter/Morning Consult finds that Americans between the ages of 18 and 29 prefer Pattinson over Nicholas Hoult, who was reportedly also considered for the role of Batman. Some 42% of respondents in the 18-29 age bracket said they prefer Pattinson as the Dark Knight, vs. 30% wanting Hoult to don the costume. 

Fans in the 30-44 age group are fairly evenly split over the two actors, with 36% preferring Hoult, while 35% choose Pattinson. When fans between the ages of 45 to 54 were asked, “Who do you think would be a better Batman in the upcoming movie The Batman?” 35% said they preferred Hoult, while 28% said Pattinson was their preference. 

Across all demographics, 57% of respondents said they have positive expectations of Pattinson’s performance, with 11% expecting it to be excellent.

Pattinson replaces Ben Affleck, who previously played the role of Batman in Zack Snyder’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League (which Joss Whedon took over directing duties from Snyder midway through production). Affleck was set to star in and direct a standalone Batman film but stepped down for personal reasons. 

In Reeves’ upcoming film, Pattinson will play a Bruce Wayne in his 30s, still working out the kinks of being Gotham’s greatest detective. 

Production on The Batman is scheduled to begin in early 2020, with the film set to hit theatres June 25, 2021.