The Batman star Robert Pattinson says he was not surprised by initial backlash to his casting

Matt Reeves' The Batman opened in theaters this week to rave reviews and is expected to gross somewhere between 100-140 million dollars in its opening weekend. The star of the movie Robert Pattinson who will be the latest actor to portray the role of the Dark Knight on the big screen talked about the initial backlash he received when he was cast.

While many fans were willing to give the actor the benefit of the doubt it was clear that a lot of people were not so optimistic in their outlook mostly due to the actor's association with the Twilight franchise.

Pattinson is not the only Batman actor to face this issue, in fact, almost every actor who played the role has had to face it. When Micheal Keaton was cast in the role for Tim Burton's Batman movie many were not enthusiastic as the actor was known for more comedic roles at the time. 

Both Christian Bale and Ben Affleck faced similar backlash from fans when they were cast in the role, but all three actors' performances went on to receive critical praise as well love and support from fans.

With critics already raving about Robert Pattinson's performance in the movie, soon it will come as no surprise that this younger version of Batman will also earn a place in the list of the iconic portrayals of the caped crusader.

In a recent interview with the LA Times, the actor addressed the initial backlash to him being cast in the role but seems to have taken it in stride. He said, “I was actually mocked less than I usually am,” he joked. “I was quite shocked. He added, ‘Only 70% negative? A-plus!’ ”

Pattinson also went to express that he would have been hesitant to take on the role had it been offered to him a few years ago, "Even like five years ago, I was the last person I would think would be cast as Batman," he told the publication. "I’m never normally in consideration for superhero parts at all. Usually [in those roles] you’re either a total unknown or someone who just, I don’t know, seems more obvious. I don’t understand what it was about Batman, but I got really fixated on it and kept pushing my agent about it".

"I loved Matt’s work on the “Planet of the Apes” movies so much, and a lot of Matt’s work. and I was thinking, if you can get that performance out of a monkey … . [laughs] Then I met Matt and just he had such an interesting take on the character, and it just felt very different and kind of dangerous. It felt like a big, big mountain to climb."

The Batman is set outside of the DCEU and is a standalone movie that follows a young Batman who is struggling with his role as Gotham City's protector when a new threat in the form of a serial killer calling himself The Riddler appears and wreaks havoc on the city.

The Batman stars Robert Pattinson, Zoë Kravitz, Paul Dano, Jeffrey Wright, John Turturro, Peter Sarsgaard, Andy Serkis, Colin Farrell, Jayme Lawson, and Alex Ferns. The film arrived in cinemas today.