If you've caught even a glimpse of the hubbub around Kristen Stewart's upcoming Princess Diana biopic Spencer, then you know the Twilight actress can finesse a mean on-screen meltdown. And few
fictional characters have as many mental meltdowns as Batman villains. Notoriously unwell, the Caped Crusader's rogue gallery includes among its ranks The Joker, The Riddler, Catwoman, Bane, Scarecrow, Two-Face, The Penguin, Poison Ivy, Harley Quinn, and—oh—that guy who wears a pig mask and turns humans into mind-controlled robots. An all-around charismatic bunch!
With Stewart's Twilight co-star and one-time boyfriend Robert Pattinson starring as the Dark Knight in the new Batman reboot, fans have been clamoring for Stewart to join the cast, preferably as an answer to Joaquin Phoenix's Joker.
The only answer I will accept is Kristen Stewart. https://t.co/Bb9jl3CuAZ
— Jeremy Whitley (@jrome58) October 18, 2021
The actress, who stars next in the sci-fi drama Crimes of the Future, denied the Joker rumors in an interview with Varietybut implied she'd be open to another villain.
“I love the energy behind that,” she said when asked about playing Joker. “It’s really been done so well. I feel like, maybe, we don’t traipse over, but I love that gusto. Let’s figure something else out. I’m totally down to play a freaky, scary person...Not ‘no’ [to the Joker], but not the most stoked I’ve ever been. Let’s do something new.”
Thankfully, the thousands of Batman storylines over the years means there's plenty “new” to work with. Despite the numerous DC Comics film adaptations, no film has yet to touch several well-known Dark Knight villains, including the aforementioned Professor Pyg, as well as the Court of Owls, Calculator, Killer Croc, Solomon Grundy, Hush, Mister Zsasz, and The Red Hood. Maybe it's just me, but I'd love to see KStew as a former Batgirl-turned-Red Hood.
No. She should demand more. Instead of casting a woman in a role defined by men playing it, create something new for Kristen Stewart to play. Give her something of her own. https://t.co/rLQp1jktLS
— Dan Buffa (@buffa82) October 20, 2021
That said, there's a powerful case to make for letting Bella Swan spread her wings away from any vampiric—or comic-book—associates. If she can nail one of the most iconic roles of all time, who knows what she can do with a meaty villain, superpowers or no.
Watch the trailer for The Batman below.