It's official: Robert Pattinson is next Batman

Los Angeles: Actor Robert Pattinson has officially been cast as the Batman in Matt Reeves' upcoming directorial about the Caped Crusader.

The 33-year-old actor succeeds Ben Affleck who played the part in three films -- "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice", "Suicide Squad" and "Justice League".

According to Variety, Pattinson has closed the deal with Warner Bros for taking on the role in Reeves' film, titled "The Batman".

Affleck was also suppose to helm "The Batman". Reeves came on board as the director after his exit.

The superhero drama begins pre-production soon and the filming is expected to start by the end of 2019 or early 2020.

Reeves will also produce "The Batman" with his "Planet of the Apes" collaborator Dylan Clark. The film has a release date of June 25, 2021.

Pattinson broke out on the Hollywood scene after playing vampire Edward Cullen opposite Kristen Stewart's Bella Swan in "Twilight" series.

But after the franchise ended, the actor switched to indie projects with films such as "Cosmopolis", "Good Time" and most recently "High Life".

Pattinson is set to work with filmmaker Christopher Nolan on his next "Tenet", which also features John David Washington and Elizabeth Debicki.

In 2019, he will seen in the films "The Lighthouse", "The King" for Netflix and "Waiting for the Barbarians".