Robert Pattinson has tested positive for the novel coronavirus after returning to film The Batman, according to reports by Vanity Fair and The New York Times.
Production on The Batman, directed and cowritten by Matt Reeves, has shut down in the U.K. for the second time as a result. “A member of The Batman production has tested positive for COVID-19 and is isolating in accordance with established protocols,” a spokesperson for Warner Bros. said in a statement to Variety on Thursday, September 3. “Filming is temporarily paused.”
The superhero flick initially began production in England in January, but filming was suspended in March as the coronavirus pandemic set in globally. Nearly seven weeks of filming were wrapped by the time the shoot was put on hold. Warner Bros. told The Hollywood Reporter at the time that they will “continue to monitor the situation closely.”
The Pattinson-led flick was one among an abundance of films placed in limbo due to the global health crisis. For Warner Bros. alone, films including Tenet, The Matrix 4 and The Sopranos prequel were put on hold.
Though the DC Comics flick hadn’t wrapped up filming, a surprise teaser trailer arrived late last month. It gave fans their first look at the Twilight actor, 34, in action as Bruce Wayne/Batman. The sneak peek additionally provided glimpses of Zoë Kravitz as Selina Kyle/Catwoman and Paul Dano as The Riddler.
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Pattinson was cast in the dual role in May 2019, beating out the likes of Nicholas Hoult, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Armie Hammer for the part. The Good Time actor succeeds Ben Affleck, who previously played Batman in three films: Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Suicide Squad and Justice League.
The Way Back actor, 48, stepped down from all involvement with Batman in January 2019 despite plans of appearing in his first standalone flick as the caped crusader.
Earlier this year, Pattinson spoke with GQ about the pressure he felt coming into the coveted role. “I think sometimes the downsides — which I’ve definitely thought about — the downsides kind of seem like upsides,” he said in the publication’s June/July cover story. “I kind of like the fact that not only are there very, very, very well-done versions of the character which seem pretty definitive, but I was thinking that there are multiple definitive playings of the character.”
The Lighthouse actor continued, “I was watching the making of Batman & Robin the other day. And even then, George Clooney was saying that he was worried about the fact that it’s sort of been done, that a lot of the ground you should cover with the character has been already covered.”
The Batman was initially slated to debut on May 21, 2021, but the pandemic pushed back its new expected release to April 1, 2022.
Us Weekly has reached out to Pattinson’s rep for comment.
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