Robert Pattinson’s Batman preparations: pizza binges, jiu jitsu training, reading comics, and ‘dirty bulking’

The new Batman live action film is set for release in June 2021 and it seems Robert Pattinson – who takes over the title role from Ben Affleck, and steps into the batsuit following era-defining turns from Christian Bale and Michael Keaton – has a lot to prove to the DC Universe's die-hard fans.

The first series outing from Cloverfield director Matt Reeves, Zoë Kravitz will reprise the role of Catwoman for this reboot, titled simply The Batman, taking over from, most recently, Anne Hathaway.

As for Batman's mortal enemies, Paul Dano, who starred in There Will Be Blood, will play the Riddler, and Colin Farrell will take on the role of the Penguin.

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Does Pattinson have what it takes to be this generation’s new Batman, and will he be a worthy opponent to the all-star cast of villains? The actor’s got a year yet, but here’s what we know about “Battisson” so far.

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New Batman, new Batmobile

A few shots for The Batman have been teased by Reeves in anticipation for the 2021 release, including a screen test of Pattinson in the new Batsuit.

The suit seems to be a little more DIY than the pieces Affleck wore in his three Batman turns. The new cowl is made from stitched leather, and the bat symbol on the chest features what some fans believe to be metal from the gun that killed Bruce Wayne's parents. The Batmobile also looks like a modded muscle car rather than a high-tech tank, furthering the gritty neo-noir theme of Reeves' live-action take.

As one Twitter user commented, “So glad to finally have a Batmobile that's not a tank for once”.

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Psychological immersion

Although not a self-proclaimed “method” actor like angsty Bale, Pattinson has been getting into the mindset of Batman's tortured soul through previous film projects.

In 2019, Pattinson played a lighthouse keeper alongside Willem Dafoe, in psychological horror The Lighthouse – and of course spent years as broody teenage vampire Edward Cullen in the Twilight film franchise.

Personal trainer

Jiu jitsu expert Rigan Machado is reportedly training Pattison for the new Batman bod. Machado’s students are some of Hollywood’s hottest celebrities, including Vin Diesel, Ashton Kutcher and Wiz Khalifa. When asked about his training for The Batman during a press interview for The Lighthouse, Pattison said, “I used to hate working out. In my thirties, I find it very meditative.”

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Batman comics

Pattinson has revealed to press that he's been reading both classic and contemporary versions of the Batman comics. This is no small task: the series first started in the 1940s and is still ongoing, comprising just under 900 issues. Not to mention the hundreds of animations, graphic novels and other DC comics that reference the superhero.

Dirty bulking

During Pattinson's press circuit tour for The Lighthouse, the actor shared that he was eating lots of pizza in preparation for the role. Known as “dirty bulking” in the fitness community, this type of diet promotes quick weight gain through high calorie foods.

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Unfortunately, there have been recent reports that Pattinson has struggled to put on the weight for The Batman – which caused production to be delayed last year. Time to munch that margherita, son.

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