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We got Christian Bale’s “Batlip” and Ben Affleck’s “Batfleck,” so prepare for the era of “Battinson.” That’s right, Robert Pattinson is the latest to step into the role of Bruce Wayne in the upcoming reboot The Batman.
How many times do we possibly need to see Thomas and Martha Wayne get gunned down in an alleyway? Don’t know, but we’re anxious to see how Pattinson fares in the role of the Dark Knight, and we’re hoping that silly detractors won’t still be trying to hold his tenure in the Twilight films against him.
Look, Pattinson was a young actor offered a chance to pay off his college education with a lofty role in a YA adaptation. We can’t blame him, and if you’ve seen any of his recent comments on the series you can see he wasn’t exactly a fan. When asked about Twilight author Stephanie Meyers, Pattinson laughed and said “this woman is mad.” Though even more recently, he said that “hating Twilight isn’t cool anymore,” and it’s “so 2010.”
Vampire teen romance aside, Pattinson has shown real progression as an actor, and he’s clearly one of the best of his generation. Between solving Christopher Nolan’s puzzle in Tenet, robbing banks in Good Time, bonding with Willem Dafoe in The Lighthouse and searching for buried treasure in The Lost City of Z, he’s shown a versatility that’s rare among any actor. At this point, holding Twilight against him is like referring to Leonardo DiCaprio as “the guy from Critters 3.”
Pattinson isn’t the only Twilight alum to redeem himself. Here are some other members of the series who have gone on to bigger and better things and some other ways in which, in retrospect, we now realize Twilight wasn’t so bad.
Kristen Stewart Is An Oscar Nominee
Stewart recently received her first Academy Award nomination for the excellent biopic Spencer, and it’s the latest honor in her growing filmography of hits. Like Pattinson, she’s definitely gone down the arthouse movie route with films such as Clouds of Silas Maria, Personal Shopper, Certain Women, Seberg, Café Society and Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk.
The Breaking Dawn Director Put His Money To Good Use
“From the director of the two-part Twilight finale” isn’t something you’re going to see on a lot of trailer materials, but Breaking Dawn filmmaker Bill Condon deserves more credit. He’s also the director of the award-nominated Kinsey, Gods and Monsters, Dreamgirls, the recent Sherlock Holmes adventure Mr. Holmes and the billion dollar-grossing remake of Beauty and the Beast.
Remember When Rami Malek Wore Vampire Teeth? Not Anymore.
Rami Malek is probably hoping that nobody remembers his performance as Benjamin in the Twilight series, and it doesn’t seem like anyone has. Malek is now as an Oscar winner for Bohemian Rhapsody and an Emmy winner for Mr. Robot. His vampire fangs have forever been replaced in movie fans’ memories with his prosthetic Freddie Mercury smile.
Another Twilight Director Went On To Write An Awesome Star Wars Movie
Chris Weitz may have been dealt a bad hand early in his career when he directed Twilight: New Moon. However, Weitz has also written such varied films as the Hugh Grant romantic comedy About a Boy and the prequel Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. He stepped back into the director’s chair for the gripping Holocaust thriller Operation Finale. He’ll be fine.
The Vampire Baby Is Now a Fake Baby
Remember the creepy half-vampire baby that Jacob was sort of in love with? We’re pretty sure he went on to be the creepy fake baby that Bradley Cooper cradles in American Sniper.
Enough Time Has Passed To Enjoy the Twilight soundtrack
Look, “A Thousand Years” is an easy pick if you have a particularly emotional significant other. We’ll forget that it’s now in reference of a super old vampire preying on a teenage girl.
Stephanie Meyers Isn’t Even the Worst Twilight Author Anymore
No one ever praised Stephanie Meyers for her writing ability, but we’ll say this: she at least had vampires, fantasy and clever plot lines. That’s more than can be said for Fifty Shades of Gray, the Twilight fan fiction that became a sensation among creeps.
Twilight Doesn’t Even Hold the Worst Vampire Movie Title Anymore
We’d rather watch goopy teenage melodrama than whatever Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter was supposed to be.
The Twilight Composer Knew What He Was Doing
Check out the actual names of the tracks on the original Twilight soundtrack. Titles such as “The Most Dangerous Predator” and “Tracking” hint that composer Carter Burwell understood the story’s creepy plot and was dropping warnings to teen girls everywhere by explicitly calling this behavior as he saw it.
Edward’s Jacket Is Back in Style
With the many winter storms Dallas has now survived, we’ve come to appreciate that we could actually use that sweater we used to make fun of. None of the other fashion (or haircuts) hold up, but we’re OK with that. It was the early aughts.
Taylor Lautner
Hahaha, just kidding. He still sucks.
