Christopher Nolan had a very specific question for Robert Pattinson after it was announced the “Twilight” actor would be the next Batman.
In a GQ conversation with Matt Damon and Tom Holland – who he co-stars with in “The Odyssey” – Pattinson explained that the iconic director only really had one question. For Nolan, it all boiled down to the quality of the cape.
“I remember talking to Chris when I first got the job and it was very, very secret,” Pattinson said. “His first question was, ‘So what did they make the cape out of? Just so curious, and I was like ‘it’s kind of like messed up looking.’ And he was like, ‘no no, it should always look, like, pristine. No matter if you’re blown up or anything.’ I was like, oh interesting I’d never even thought about it. And I was like, ‘oh I’m sort of doing the opposite.’”
Nolan famously handled a beloved Batman trilogy starring Christian Bale – “Batman Begins,” “The Dark Knight,” “The Dark Knight Rises” – so his interest in where the character went next makes sense. Pattinson starred in Matt Reeves’ “The Batman” and the character had a decidedly grittier and grounded feel than even Nolan’s films did.
The rest of “The Odyssey” cast have clearly enjoyed their time with the acclaimed director on set. Damon told Elle that he and Holland competed to get praise out of Nolan in the same way he complimented Zendaya’s performance. It came to no avail.
“Chris is known for being very circumspect. So when you do a take, it’s not like he says, ‘That was great.’ He’ll go, ‘Yep, good. Okay.’ And that is the equivalent of the greatest praise you could ever get,” Damon said. “Zendaya, on the other hand – there were takes where she did one thing, she did this amazing scene, and he said, ‘Cut.’ And then he went, ‘Perfect.’”
He continued: “And literally, Tom [Holland] and I were obsessed with this. She got a ‘perfect’? I’ve never even gotten a ‘great.’ She got a ‘perfect’? He and I bitched about it for the entire rest of the film. ‘Did you get anything today?’ ‘No, I got a ‘good – moving on.’ ‘Yeah, me too.’”
“The Odyssey” releases in theaters on July 17, 2026. The film already sold out several opening screenings in IMAX 70mm a year ahead of its release.
