Robert Pattinson's Bruce Wayne is partially inspired by
Kurt Cobain. Writer/director
Matt Reeves was listening to Nirvana when he wrote the first act with Pattinson in mind: "That's when it came to me that, rather than make Bruce Wayne the playboy version we've seen before, there's another version who had gone through a great tragedy and became a recluse.
Kurt Cobain had a relationship with fame, where being famous was not his goal. He loved music, but the idea of being famous for music was a double edged sword for him. And that made me think of Rob Pattinson, actually. I felt that this rock-star vibe suited him well. After all, he became a pop-culture icon at a very young age and had to carry that burden too, and extricate himself from it to become the actor he is today."