Robert Pattinson says 'The Batman' is a 'sad movie': 'There's a nihilistic side to it'

• Robert Pattinson spoke to GQ about his film "The Batman," in which he plays the titular character.
• Pattinson said that the film, in theaters on March 4, is a "sad movie."

Robert Pattinson described his upcoming film "The Batman" as a "sad movie" and explained how it's different from previous iterations of the Caped Crusader.

"I've definitely found a little interesting thread," Pattinson said in a March 2022 cover story for GQ, released on Tuesday. "He doesn't have a playboy persona at all, so he's kind of a weirdo as Bruce and a weirdo as Batman, and I kept thinking there's a more nihilistic slant to it."

The actor, who will star as Bruce Wayne/Batman in Matt Reeves' "The Batman," said that typical movies about the character show him disappearing, training, and returning to Gotham City as a fully-realized vigilante, ready to serve up justice.

"But in this, it's sort of implied that he's had a bit of a breakdown," Pattinson said, explaining that "The Batman" will explore how "crime has gotten worse since Bruce started being Batman."

"The Batman" will take inspiration from writer Frank Miller and artist David Mazzucchelli's "Batman: Year One" comic. In multiple interviews, Reeves has emphasized that the film will focus on the detective side of Batman.

The director also told Esquire UK that films like "The French Connection" and "Taxi Driver" served as influences for his take on the character, in addition to the grunge band Nirvana that was led by Kurt Cobain.

"The truth is that he is a kind of drug addict," Reeves said. "His drug is his addiction to this drive for revenge. He's like a Batman Kurt Cobain."

Pattinson shared similar comments in his GQ interview, explaining that Batman's thirst for vengeance is unhealthy.

The actor said that at one in the upcoming film, his butler Alfred Pennyworth (Andy Serkis) questions Bruce about tainting his family's legacy with his crime-fighting.

"And Bruce says: 'This is my family legacy. If I don't do this, then there's nothing else for me,'" Pattinson said. "I always read that as not like, 'There's nothing else,' like, 'I don't have a purpose.' But like: 'I'm checking out.' And I think that makes it a lot sadder."

He continued: "Like, it's a sad movie. It's kind of about him trying to find some element of hope, in himself, and not just the city. Normally, Bruce never questions his own ability; he questions the city's ability to change. But I mean, it's kind of such an insane thing to do: The only way I can live is to dress up as a bat."

Pattinson said that the gloom of the character, who became an orphan after his parents were murdered in front of him, is in line with DC Comics' storytelling.

"DC is the kind of emo comic," he said. "There's a nihilistic side to it. Even the artwork is really, really different. So, hopefully, there are a lot of sad people in the world."

"The Batman," starring Pattinson and Zoë Kravitz, hits theaters on Friday, March 4.