10 July 2022

IndieWire picked up this little tidbit from Claire Denis’ recent interview with The Playlist below. I can’t believe I missed it.

“Denis revealed that they almost collaborated on a stage play. After speaking about her passion for working with actors, Denis was asked if she has considered directing theatre. Not only did she say yes, but she revealed that she was once developing a play that would have starred Pattinson.

“Yeah, I have thought about it,” Denis said. “There was a moment when I was talking about doing something like that with Robert, before he was our Batman.”

6 July 2022

The Playlist recently spoke to Claire Denis “at a tiny Upper East Side hotel to discuss her shyness about sex, the profound impact that Batman has had on the logistics of her next film” and Rob. This is what Claire had to say:

I’ve been looking forward to speaking again. We’ve sat down once before, for “High Life” after the premiere in Toronto back in 2018.

On that huge screen in that huge theater. Fuck me up. When I think of it, I was seated by Robert [Pattinson], and for me and Robert, that was like a nightmare. I told [Toronto International Film Festival CEO] Cameron [Bailey], “You cannot do that to film.”

…

Robert Pattinson was set for the lead role, but then he dropped out. How’d things play out there?

No one saw COVID coming, of course. The plan was he would finish “The Batman,” and I’d wait for him, and he’d be free by September of that year. That was good for me as well, because it would be the right season in Nicaragua. Then in one moment, COVID came, and Robert was working in London. I couldn’t even go and see him. Then Nicaragua went through a terrible thing: Daniel Ortega, the President, wasn’t supposed to re-present himself in the election. But he did, and he isolated Nicaragua even more. So there was an issue, I didn’t know what to do. And Robert was still in the middle of the Batman process at this point, which was a painful moment because I love both Robert Pattinson and Nicaragua a lot.

I was losing every part of the film, except for Margaret [Qualley]. Because she told me, “I’m waiting,” I decided I had to do this. Every morning, I’d wake up and say, “I quit.” But I’d think of Margaret, and she’s been waiting without complaining, so I kept on. I thought Panama could be our plan B, not totally sure. As soon as I could travel, I went to Panama, and at this time, Robert is still in London playing Batman. I must cast someone else, which at first made me feel like I was dying. But I did it! Because Margaret was still there.

28 May 2022

Claire Denis’ The Stars at Noon debuted at the Cannes Film Festival to mixed reviews. She told Reuters the reason why Rob had to drop out of starring in the film:

“The pandemic came and ‘The Batman’ shooting took him almost two years and Robert was very tired. He said ‘I can’t’. And then I was lucky, so lucky, that Joe was interested,” said Denis.

Thanks @Monsieur_HJ for heads up.