FAKE NEWS: Robert Pattinson Is Not Batman YET

There's fake news and then there's the shocking inability of some in the media to read.

For three days, there's been a flurry of news and some controversy over the announcement that Robert 'Edward Cullen' Pattinson is playing Bruce Wayne and Batman in Michael Reeves' forthcoming 'The Batman.' Lots of fans are not happy about the casting while others are just excited to see more of Pattinson in any role.

I'm most frustrated by the fact that Pattinson hasn't been officially cast in the role. Variety's article was pure clickbait and fake news whereas the article clearly says the following:

Pattinson is one of two actors up for the role, the other being Nicholas Hoult, known for portrayed Hank McCoy/Beast in the X-Men films since 'First Class.' He's also currently portraying The Hobbit and Lord of The Rings' author J.R.R. Tolkien in 'Tolkien.'

In my opinion as a geek who has followed geek news daily since that meant reading magazines and newspaper articles and recording Entertainment Tonight on VHS tapes, I have a feeling Warner Bros. won't confirm who will actually be the new Batman for some time. This feels like a calculated move to drum up interest in what is rumored to be another reboot of the Batman movie universe, meaning Pattinson or Hoult will not be playing a younger version of Affleck's 'Batman.'  I wouldn't be surprised if WB waits until San Diego Comic Con in July, giving them two months of solid free publicity and viral madness to build interest in 'The Batman' and the other DC Comics films they'll likely also announce.