Robert Pattinson is reading as many comics as possible for 'assimilation' ahead of 'The Batman'

Robert Pattinson is hard at work preparing to don the iconic cowl for his lead role in The Batman, revealing that he is reading as many comic books as possible.

Pattinson is hoping to consume as much material as he can in pursuit of “as much assimilation” as he can achieve with the character.

The 33-year-old star told Variety’s podcast The Big Ticket that he’s not sure how much of that comic material will be brought into the movie.

Read more: Pattinson on The Lighthouse and his “cool” Batsuit

Pattinson will step up to the role of Bruce Wayne in the 2021 reboot of the franchise, which will be helmed by War for the Planet of the Apes director Matt Reeves.

The cast has been assembling in recent weeks, with Zoe Kravitz cast as Catwoman, Paul Dano lined up for villain duties as The Riddler and Jeffrey Wright set to play Commissioner Gordon.

Pattinson said he is currently still working on Christopher Nolan’s upcoming action film Tenet, but that his research for The Batman is in full swing.

“I'm glad I've had quite a lot of time,” he said. “I've been reading and I didn't realise, but there are so many Batman comics. There are hundreds and thousands of them.”

Read more: Pattinson’s Batman is “not a hero”

The actor said he has been enjoying reading modern Batman stories, including those penned by Tom King, as well as the more obvious classic tales.

He stated he finds it “interesting to see what people are expecting” from the movie and how the character’s persona has changed over the years of comic books and their film adaptations.

“I don't know how much you'll really even bring in from those comics,” he added, “but it's nice to sort of get as much assimilation as you can.”

Read more: Christian Bale gives Pattinson his Batman seal of approval

Pattinson can currently be seen in Netflix historical epic The King, alongside Timothée Chalamet, and is in US cinemas for his role in oddball horror movie The Lighthouse, directed by The Witch creator Robert Eggers.

The Lighthouse will be released into UK cinemas on 31 January 2020.