'The Batman' Producer Advises Fans to Watch Movie Before Judging Robert Pattinson

Robert Pattinson’s casting in Matt Reeves’ The Batman made waves within the fan community, not only because it comes after Ben Affleck’s short tenure with the character, but also because, for some, Pattinson’s most memorable role remains that of Edward Cullen in the Twilight series. The Batman producer Michael E. Uslan, however, spoke out this week about pre-judgments on the actor, advising fans to see the film before speaking.

While at Germany’s CCXP Cologne event, according to ScreenRant, Uslan expressed his support for Reeves and Pattinson. “My position is this: trust the filmmaker and give the filmmaker, and the filmmaker’s vision, the benefit of the doubt. Then wait ’til you see the movie,” he said. “I think that’s really the formula going forward. I couldn’t be happier, I couldn’t be more enthused, as a Batman fan, that Matt Reeves is the filmmaker in charge and has selected Robert Pattinson to be his next Batman.”

Many DC fans had raised concerns about Pattinson’s casting on the basis of his involvement in Twilight--despite the fact that, since his days as Edward Cullen, the actor has been in a number of acclaimed independent films including Good Time and The Lost City of Z. People even started petitions to keep him from the Caped Crusader role.

Uslan, for his part, associated Pattinson’s casting with previous Batman films, which were also met with tepid reception upon their announcement. “So we’ve seen the genius of Tim Burton, we have seen the genius of Christopher Nolan,” he said. “The question becomes: is there a filmmaker who you see has a knowledge of a character, has an understanding of a character, a passion and a love for the character?”

While Tim Burton’s 1989 Batman was initially met with criticism for casting Michael Keaton as the titular character, it was met with enduring acclaim; similarly, Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight stirred up fan controversy by casting actor Heath Ledger in his now-revered role of the Joker.

We’re inclined to agree with Uslan’s take on the situation--we don’t know exactly what Matt Reeves and Robert Pattinson will have in store for us, but we’ll wait to see it before judging.