'Batman' star Robert Pattinson all set to compete for Lead Actor Oscar 2020

The actor will compete in the category for his role in 'The Lighthouse'

Batman star Robert Pattinson will compete in the lead actor category for The Lighthouse, reported Variety . A24 will submit Pattinson in the lead actor category, with co-star Willem Dafoe in the supporting actor field.

The Lighthouse, which opens Oct. 18, has been earning praise on the festival circuit since premiering at Cannes in May, where writer-director Robert Eggers won an International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI) Prize. Pattinson and Dafoe play two lighthouse keepers isolated on a small island who begin to grapple with their sanity.

If Dafoe were to be nominated, it would be his third consecutive nod after last year’s At Eternity’s Gate and 2017’s The Florida Project. He was also previously nominated for Platoon and Shadow of the Vampire.

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While the film is very much a two-hander, Pattinson has more screen time and his character serves as the audience’s point of view. Though he has never been nominated for an Oscar, Pattinson has more than proven his chops since breaking through in the Twilight films, working with such directors as David Cronenberg, the Safdie brothers and Christopher Nolan.

Robert Pattinson reveals how 'powerful' he felt trying on the Batsuit

His choices and performances have drawn recognition, particularly for his turn in 2017’s Good Time. Pattinson was honored recently at the Mill Valley Film Festival in Marin County, California. In presenting the spotlight award, festival executive director Mark Fishkin quoted, “Nothing good can happen when two men are left alone in a giant phallus.” Fishkin then told Pattinson, “You’ve brought to us so much joy and this is an iconic role, so thank you.”

PHOTO: FILE

Pattinson took part in a Q&A and attended an after party that included guests like Olivia Wilde, Harriet director Kasi Lemmons and Dolemite Is My Name screenwriters Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski.

At the Q&A, Pattinson revealed he was a fan of Eggers’ feature film debut, The Witch, and reached out to him about collaborating. “I approached him about something that never got made that I’d still love to do with him, kind of a kind of a medieval thing,” Pattinson revealed. He then added that they discussed a famous vampire property. “I talked to him about ‘Nosferatu,’ and then I thought … that was a little bit close to home,” Pattinson said with a laugh, referencing his Twilight past.

 

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