When the news first broke about Robert Pattinson playing Batman in the upcoming Matt Reeves' The Batman, fans were divided into two segments - those who loved the idea and those who just couldn't get the image of Pattinson playing Edward Cullen in the Twilight series out of their head.
Nonetheless, people from both camps have been waiting anxiously to see how he does in the role.
However, it looks like Pattinson isn't having a great time shooting for the film. Recently, some production sources revealed to The Sun that the whole process has been quite stressful, so much so that the director is pushing the lead actor to "breaking point."
"Filming has been a gruelling process, especially for Robert, as Matt is such a perfectionist. He has been pushed to breaking point," say sources close to the production.
"He’ll insist on doing scenes over and over again and get bogged down in the tiny details. Sometimes it’s like he doesn’t know when to stop. Matt has done blockbusters before, but this is another level," they added.
"Batman is arguably the most popular superhero of all, and by the time the film is released it will be the Dark Knight’s first solo movie in ten years."
"Warner Bros. can’t afford for the fanbase to be disappointed and have thrown £90 million at the film. No one is denying that this is a high stakes production and that Matt is feeling the pressure to get it right. But Robert has had a tough time on these franchise movies before. He hated Twilight by the time it wrapped, and the last thing anyone wants is for him to become jaded."
The movie has already undergone a lot of crisis in the past year, including the delays caused in the production due to the pandemic. A stuntman testing positive for COVID-19 in November pushed the release even further. The Batman will now come out on March 4, 2022.
Another insider said that “all these setbacks have made Matt paranoid about catching Covid. It’s got to the point now where he’s been directing scenes while zipped up inside a puffa coat and with ski goggles on."
"As a Covid-secure outfit, it’s questionable. But if it makes him feel more at ease, everyone’s going with it."
While the movie is surely undergoing a lot of pressure, fans can all hope for the best, considering the quality of one trailer that was a result of the just a few weeks' worth of footage. As long as Reeves doesn't burn Pattinson out, it has all the makings of a true hit.