The Batman star Robert Pattinson recently teased one of the qualities distinguishing his take on the Dark Knight from previous iterations-- how his Bruce Wayne relates to the Batman persona.
In an interview with Eiga.com, Pattinson explained (translated from Japanese), ""This time Bruce is kind of like a soldier... In this work, he is Bruce. I don't really know who I am as. As if that part was missing. (Reading the script) every night, every night, I'm acting as a Batman anyway. Every night, like a beast. Wandering around the city is not an ordinary behaviour (laughs), isn't it?"
He went on to add, "I don't even know what Batman is, but I want to be Batman all the time. I think it's something instinctual and addicting to him, so now. I had a very different impression." He went on to discuss the deep pain at the heart of Batman's crusade, saying, "I felt a deep sorrow that was not as heroic as the Batman that had been drawn so far, with a greater sense of loss there... I think he really has to find himself."
Pattinson has been open about his upcoming portrayal of the Caped Crusader, providing audiences with insight into the mindset of his Bruce Wayne and his drive. In a previous interview, Pattinson teased The Batman's focus on the detective aspect of superhero's persona, praising the film for its unique approach. "It's a detective movie," the actor said. "It happens all the time in the graphic novels, but it's always kind of on the backburner in the movies."
Marketing for the upcoming film appears to tease a greater focus on Gotham's seedy underbelly, with grittier takes on classic supervillains from Batman's rogues gallery, including the Penguin and The Riddler, the latter of which is depicted as a far darker villain than his colorful comic book counterpart. A clip that recently began circulating provided viewers with a glimpse at the villain's crime spree in Gotham, involving murder, crashing cars and hostages.
The Batman director and co-writer Matt Reeves has stated that Riddler was inspired by none other than the infamous Zodiac Killer. Reeves explained, "The Riddler is kind of molded in an almost Zodiac Killer sort of mode, and is killing very prominent figures in Gotham, and they are the pillars of society... These are supposedly legitimate figures. It begins with the mayor, and then it escalates from there. And in the wake of the murders, he reveals the ways in which these people were not everything they said they were."
Source: Eiga.com, via Reddit