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Robert Pattinson surprises autistic 10-year-old Batman fan during Liverpool filming

Watch: Robert Pattinson makes 10-year-old fan’s day with surprise gift

Robert Pattinson surprised a 10-year-old Batman superfan with a special gift amid filming on The Batman in Liverpool.

James, who lives on the Wirral, has autism and is a huge fan of the DC Comics superhero — at one point watching the same Batman movie every night for two years.

Read more: Pattinson reveals Batman inspirations

He drew a picture for Pattinson and his parents took him to the Liverpool set of the upcoming movie every day, in the hope of him being able to pass on the drawing to his hero.

They enlisted local radio station Radio City via social media to see if they could help, and the news got through to Pattinson’s team.

Soon, James got a delivery of various Batman goodies — including his very own Batmobile — accompanied by a signed card from Pattinson himself.

The 34-year-old star wrote: “Sorry I missed you. Your drawing was great! I'll see you next time I'm in Liverpool.”

Read more: Actors who could play Joker alongside Pattinson

James’s father, Darren, told Radio City: “To see him react and be so happy just melted our hearts.

“His mum was in tears, it was just so amazing the fact that he'd actually got something that he really wanted.

Robert Pattinson surprised 10-year-old Batman superfan James. (Credit: Stefanie Keenan/Getty/Radio City)
Robert Pattinson surprised 10-year-old Batman superfan James. (Credit: Stefanie Keenan/Getty/Radio City)

“It was just so nice to see that smile on his face. What we achieved is beyond our wildest dreams.

“It was literally just trying to get a little autistic boy who'd drawn a picture for Batman to get it to him, that's literally all it was. What we've achieved is well beyond what we imagined.”

Read more: Christian Bale voted best Batman

Pattinson and the team behind The Batman, including director Matt Reeves, spent several weeks in Liverpool in October, with Pattinson’s stunt double at one point scaling the famous Liver Building.

Production on the film has now moved to Chicago, using locations that previously played the role of Gotham City in The Dark Knight.

Robert Pattinson as Bruce Wayne in 'The Batman'. (Credit: DC/Warner Bros)
Robert Pattinson as Bruce Wayne in 'The Batman'. (Credit: DC/Warner Bros)

Reeves’s rebooted take on the world of Batman began filming early in 2020, but had to shut down as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, with only a third of the movie in the can.

A first teaser trailer was unveiled at the DC FanDome event, showcasing Pattinson in the Batsuit and providing cryptic first looks at several of the villains due to feature.

Read more: Andy Serkis says The Batman will be very dark

Alongside Pattinson, the movie stars Paul Dano as the Riddler, Zoe Kravitz as Catwoman and Colin Farrell as Penguin, with Jeffrey Wright appearing as Gotham cop Jim Gordon.

The Batman is now due to be released in March 2022.

Watch: First teaser trailer for The Batman