'For first time in history I'm excited for Batman': What fans said after the Robert Pattinson news broke

Despite his long resume, actor Robert Pattinson is best known as the heartthrob from the Twilight franchise, so Friday’s news that he’s been approved by the studio to suit up as the iconic superhero in the upcoming film The Batman was met with some suspicion. The upside, of course, is that supporters of Team Edward, the vampire Pattinson plays in the five Twilight movies, are already celebrating the idea of him slipping into the cape of Bruce Wayne’s alter-ego.

Pattinson reportedly edged out X-Men actor Nicholas Hoult, who memorably starred alongside Hugh Grant in 2002’s About a Boy early in his career, for his new gig.

Robert Pattinson has been cast as Batman. (Photo: Stephane Cardinale - Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images)
Robert Pattinson has been cast as Batman. (Photo: Stephane Cardinale - Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images)

Audiences understandably feel protective of the DC Comics character, who first appeared in comic books in 1939, and has since appeared in a long list of movies and TV shows. The character was perhaps most famously portrayed by Adam West of TV’s Batman in the ‘60s. More recently, actors including Michael Keaton, George Clooney, Val Kilmer, Christian Bale and Ben Affleck have played the role on the big screen.

Batman fans had a lot of thoughts and, of course, memes about the decision. They even suggested a new nickname for R. Pattz.

A sample:

Pattinson’s take on Batman rolls — make that flies — into theaters on June 25, 2021.

Read more on Yahoo Entertainment:

Want daily pop culture news delivered to your inbox? Sign up here for Yahoo Entertainment & Lifestyle's newsletter.