Robert Pattinson is said to be in talks to play Batman in Matt Reeves' upcoming superhero film.

Robert Pattinson

Robert Pattinson

The 33-year-old star is said to be the frontrunner for the role in forthcoming film 'The Batman', but he has not yet closed on a deal to portray the legendary character, sources told Variety.

Pre-production on the Warner Bros. and DC Comics collaboration is expected to kick off this summer ahead of a June 25th 2021 release.

Insiders also told the publication the start date could be either late 2019 or early 2020.

This comes just a few months after reports Armie Hammer was in "final talks" to take on the superhero role, with Pattinson said to be in line to portray one of the villains.

Reeves took over 'The Batman' directing duties from Ben Affleck - who also stepped down from the role as the titular character in January - and he will produce the motion picture with Dylan Clark.

Affleck took to Twitter in January to confirm he was departing the role.

He tweeted: "Excited for #TheBatman in Summer 2021 and to see @MattReevesLA vision come to life. (sic)"

Should Pattinson land the coveted role he will be one of a number of huge stars to take on the iconic part.

Michael Keaton played the titular character in 1989's 'Batman' - which was directed by Tim Burton - and Val Kilmer and George Clooney have also taken on the role, in 'Batman Forever' and 'Batman & Robin' respectively.

What's more, Christian Bale played the character in Christopher Nolan's trilogy, 'Batman Begins', 'The Dark Knight' and 'The Dark Knight Rises'.

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