Robert Pattinson, Nicholas Hoult in running to play Batman in Matt Reeves directorial, after Ben Affleck steps back

Robert Pattinson and Nicholas Hoult are the top contenders for the role of Batman in Matt Reeves' upcoming directorial, according to Deadline. However, Variety states that Pattinson is the frontrunner and is currently in negotiations. There has been no official word from Warner Bros yet.[caption id="attachment_4355295" align="alignnone" width="825"]

Robert Pattinson. Image from Twitter/@TheFilmStage[/caption]Reeves, who has helmed Cloverfield and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, took over as the director of the standalone film after Ben Affleck passed the baton in January 2017. In January 2019, Affleck had announced that he would no longer be returning as the Caped Crusader and tweeted that he is excited to see Reeves' vision of the film "come to life." Warner Bros had locked a June 2021 date for the release of the standalone film.Pattinson is best known for his portrayal of the vampire Edward Cullen in the Twilight saga and Cedric Diggory in the Harry Potter series. He is set to star in Christopher Nolan's untitled next, alongside John David Washington and Elizabeth Debicki. Plot details of the film have strictly been kept behind iron curtains. Pattinson is also a part of The Lighthouse with Willem Dafoe, which premieres at the ongoing Cannes Film Festival 2019, writes The Hollywood Reporter.Meanwhile, Hoult plays Lord of the Rings and Hobbit author JRR Tolkien in Tolkien, directed by Finnish filmmaker Dome Karukoski. He will also be seen as Beast in X-Men: Dark Phoenix.