A new report suggests that tensions continue to mount on the UK-based set of The Batman, as Robert Pattinson may be at his wits end concerning his working relationship with director Matt Reeves.
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According to British tabloid The Sun, who described the director as a “control freak”, Reeves has gone full Kubrick with his demands, which include regularly forcing Pattinson to “do upwards of 50 takes inside the bulky Batman suit, leaving him, and the crew, exhausted.”
“Filming has been a grueling process, especially for Robert, as Matt is such a perfectionist,” a source claimed. “He’ll insist on doing scenes over and over again and get bogged down in the tiny detail.”
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The Sun’s source further explained that it feels as if Reeves “doesn’t know when to stop,” noting that while ““Matt has done blockbusters before, [The Batman] is another level.”
“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,” they stated. “Warner Bros can’t afford for the fanbase to be disappointed and have thrown £90million 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.”
However, the pressure being applied to Pattinson is an apparent concern among the film’s crew, as the source noted that while the actor “has had a tough time on these franchise movies before,” which previously led led to him hating “Twilight by the time it wrapped”, “the last thing anyone wants is for him to become jaded.”
They also claimed Reeves is “paranoid about catching Covid” after Pattinson and others on the crew tested positive.
“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,” said the source.
“As a Covid-secure outfit, it’s questionable,” they continued. “But if it makes him feel more at ease, everyone’s going with it.”
Related Rumor: The Batman Is In Trouble — Could Get Shut Down Again, Sequels In Jeopardy
Back in September, it was reported that production had been halted on The Batman for the umpteenth time because Pattinson was sent home from the set after testing positive for COVID-19, though ontel later leaked that the COVID-19 episode was a cover story for what really happened.
Supposedly, upon Pattinson’s arrival to set, the actor was not in the superheroic physical shape required to play The Dark Knight, an oversight which left Reeves aghast. As a result, the director sent Pattinson home and gave him two additional weeks to bulk up.
Though, at the time, the incident was reported as a rumor, the circumstances surrounding its unfolding are consistent with Pattinson’s confession that he spent his summer barely doing anything while locked down inside his London apartment, outside of the frequent jogs he had been seen taking.
Despite being met with a massive wave of disbelief, the leaked behind-the-scenes drama was eventually back up by director and make-up effects artist Gary Tunnicliffe (Hellraiser: Judgement), who corroborated the reports through information shared to him by his own sources.
“All I heard was that there were definitely tensions between Matt Reeves and Robert Pattinson,” Tunnicliffe said.
He further disclosed that the source he spoke to suggested Pattinson was being quite difficult to work with,” which Tunnifcliffe described as “a very difficult situation as a director.”
“Because I said, ‘I hear you shut down due to COVID,’ and they said, ‘It’s not COVID that shut us down,'” explained Tunnicliffe. “Then I said, ‘Oh, is it something else?’ I said, ‘Is it your lead actor?’ And they were like, ‘Maybe’ [laughs].”
Whatever the real story, regardless of its multiple delays and rumored turmoil, The Batman has been one of DC’s most highly anticipated films since its trailer premiered at the August DC FanDome event. The dark and brooding glimpse at Bruce Wayne’s next cinematic outing set a high bar for expectations, which could potentially lead to disaster as it looks increasingly more likely that the film is in jeopardy.
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