Robert Pattinson will be reprising his role as Gotham's fierce defender in the "Batman" sequel.
The news was confirmed by Warner Bros Tuesday evening during its presentation at CinemaCon, according to Variety. Also at the event was Matt Reeves, director of "The Batman," who shared that he would be writing and directing the follow-up film.
No further details were revealed but it has been widely speculated that the Joker will be included following the release of a deleted scene featuring the monstrous villain a few weeks after the opening of "The Batman."
The three-hour gritty superhero adventure, which debuted in March and kicked off with a $134 million take domestically, takes a closer look at Bruce Wayne’s earlier days as "the world’s greatest detective," Variety noted.
The decision to cast Pattinson, whose career got its start with a starring role in "Twilight," as the lead in "The Batman" was initially questioned by many who wondered whether he had the depth to fully capture the inner turmoil and struggles of Wayne. It soon grew evident that he was cut out for the role.
Pattinson's performance was widely applauded by critics. Prior to the film's release, the actor revealed that he and Reeves turned to Al Pacino's character, Michael Corleone, in "The Godfather" and rocker Kurt Cobain for inspiration.
"In our first meeting, Matt mentioned Kurt Cobain was one of the linchpins of the character. Just that put something in my head," Pattinson told the Los Angeles Times.
"There’s something about this kind of self-imposed torment that I always found really interesting and also inheriting a life that you’re not entirely sure you want but also feel like you cannot give up at all. I remember we also talked a lot about Michael Corleone."
Reeves explained that what stood out to him about Batman as a character was that he did not have any superpowers. Everything about him "is extremely psychological."
"He’s really doing this as a way of coping, because something happened to him [in his childhood] that he’s never gotten over. He’s exorcising these demons night after night after night."