The Batman Reboot Casting Thread - Part 1

[jonnywhc]

Originally Posted by CConn

Bale's performances as Batman really aren't all that impressive.

And they certainly aren't on par with his performance in The Fighter.

Bale hads to play 3 parts - cocky fake Bruce, real humble Bruce, and Batman - each he does to a level of believability I don't think many could reach. He has many subtle nuances to each performance..his delivery..all fantastic. His transformation from the unguided teen in Begins to now is amazing.

I missed the "but Jensen is a fantastic actor who would give us a better Batman than Bale has" and almost wet myself lol..cmon now that's pushing it.

[Rodrigo90]

Keaton was better

[Young Superman]

Not sure if he can do an american accent, and I know he played a comic book character before (Major Zod on Smallville} but I think Callum Blue might make a good Bruce Wayne / Batman.

[EliteF50]

Originally Posted by jonnywhc

Bale hads to play 3 parts - cocky fake Bruce, real humble Bruce, and Batman - each he does to a level of believability I don't think many could reach. He has many subtle nuances to each performance..his delivery..all fantastic. His transformation from the unguided teen in Begins to now is amazing.

I missed the "but Jensen is a fantastic actor who would give us a better Batman than Bale has" and almost wet myself lol..cmon now that's pushing it.

As great as Bale is, his Batman sucks. Like I said, Christian is my favourite actor of all time and I'm a huge fan, but his Batman is not good. At all.

[jonnywhc]

Originally Posted by Rodrigo90

Keaton was better

It isn't Keaton vs Bale its them vs the potential cowel-donners to see if they pass the test and can atleast be in the same league!

[jonnywhc]

Originally Posted by EliteF50

As great as Bale is, his Batman sucks. Like I said, Christian is my favourite actor of all time and I'm a huge fan, but his Batman is not good. At all.

Please give some examples of how this is true..

[DarkSovereignty]

the incoherent grunts he passes off speech, which makes his batman come off as way to passionate (during the brief periods you can understand him) when batman should be cool, calm and collected.

[CConn]

Originally Posted by jonnywhc

Bale hads to play 3 parts - cocky fake Bruce, real humble Bruce, and Batman - each he does to a level of believability I don't think many could reach. He has many subtle nuances to each performance..his delivery..all fantastic. His transformation from the unguided teen in Begins to now is amazing.

I missed the "but Jensen is a fantastic actor who would give us a better Batman than Bale has" and almost wet myself lol..cmon now that's pushing it.

His real Bruce is extremely hollow and lacking believable emotion.

His fake Bruce could easily be done by anyone in Hollywood.

And his Batman is laughed at as much as its praised.

As Rodrigo eluded to, Keaton is a much better example of an incredibly nuanced portrayal or Bruce with a display of emotions that were actually believable.

And as someone else once said "To be imposing, Bale has to yell and growl. All Keaton had to do was whisper."

[jonnywhc]

That's really all just your opinion and I can't change it so I won't argue but I didn't find Keaton imposing at all..I found him awesome, but not imposing. Bale was more feral imo.

And one could argue Bale did what he was directed to do, so I think he did that well. NOT saying it was the best idea in all instances tho. His Batman in BB is better than TDK. Hollow tho? idk.

[CConn]

Most of the characters Bale's played throughout his career have been very emotionally hollow and vacant.

From American Psycho to Equilibrium, to The Machinist, to The Prestige, Bale - whether it be due to choice or ability - always ends up playing characters tht he doesn't have to interject much emotion into. He quite obviously approached Batman in a very similar way.

The reason why he's received so much acclaim for The Fighter is because it was the first role in a long time that he's actually to inject real heart into a character.

[ЯɘvlveR]

Batman: This city just showed you that it's full of people ready to believe in good. HULK SMASH!

[DarkSovereignty]

um...ok...

[Rodrigo90]

That was random.

[ЯɘvlveR]

yeah. that was a joke. might of been corny but by those reactions i musta disrespected someone's mother with that comment. sheesh.

[Rockstar]

Originally Posted by EliteF50

Bale wasn't given the Oscar for his performance as Batman, and I never said he's a better actor than Bale, read the post before replying.

Bale is my favourite actor, and imo, he's also the best, but his Batman isn't that great. It can easily be topped..

You should learn to read first. I never said Bale gave an Oscar performance as Batman. I was referring to his acting range, since you mentioned that to begin with.

Ackles is nowhere close to that range and being a credible actor. Definitely not someone who's worthy of being on Nolan's radar.

Completely miscast for Batman too.

You claim Bale's Batman is supposedly bad, despite being in the most successful Batman franchise ever.

What could Ackles bring to Batman that Bale supposedly didn't?

Originally Posted by EliteF50

Sounds like what everyone was saying about Heath and Keaton before they shut everyone up. I'm positive Jensen would be a great Batman...

Ledger and Keaton, at least, had film resumes more credible than "My Bloody Valentine 3D."

Ackles voice, acting style, look, range etc couldn't be more wrong for Batman... unless they were going for a parody version.

[Rodrigo90]

You disweespected my honour and my famuwee!!!!!

[EliteF50]

Originally Posted by Rockstar

You should learn to read first. I never said Bale gave an Oscar performance as Batman. I was referring to his acting range, since you mentioned that to begin with.

Ackles is nowhere close to that range and being a credible actor. Definitely not someone who's worthy of being on Nolan's radar.

Nolan isn't directing the reboot, sure he's staying on as producer, but hell, I doubt he'll even care, tbh. Nolan is done with Batman and he wants to move on with his career.

What did Henry Cavill do before Superman? Pretty much nothing.

You claim Bale's Batman is supposedly bad, despite being in the most successful Batman franchise ever.

Yeah, because people actually went to go see TDK for Batman, right? And before you bring up there being no Joker in BB, that movie didn't make boat loads of money. It was a modest success.

The success of this franchise doesn't solely rely on Bale's performance. He's laughed at more than he's praised anyway.

What could Ackles bring to Batman that Bale supposedly didn't?

Everything Bale didn't bring to Batman, Jensen could. Bale is a better actor, but Ackles is still pretty damn great and his performances have much more heart than any of Bale's (excluding his Oscar winning performance).

As CCon said, Bale's characters are often emotionally vacant, and so is his Bruce/Batman.

Ledger and Keaton, at least, had film resumes more credible than "My Bloody Valentine 3D."

Oh yeah, because small comedies and Beetlejuice SCREAM Batman, right? Forget "My Bloody Valentine". Go watch a few SN episodes or look up some clips, he's got the talent.

Ackles voice, acting style, look, range etc couldn't be more wrong for Batman... unless they were going for a parody version.

Same can be said for Clooney, Kilmer and Keaton, yet they all got the role before. Were they good? Keaton sure as hell was and he looked or sounded absolutely NOTHING like Batman. Jensen has plenty of qualities needed for Batman.

[CConn]

Originally Posted by Rockstar

Ledger and Keaton, at least, had film resumes more credible than "My Bloody Valentine 3D"

When Keaton was cast as Batman, this was his resume:

Night Shift (1982)
Mr. Mom (1983)
Johnny Dangerously (1984)
Gung-Ho (1986)
Touch and Go (1986)
The Squeeze (1987)
Beetlejuice (1988)

Not that I don't love Gung-Ho, but that's hardly the resume of someone I'd pick to play Batman.

Oh, and Keaton looks nothing like Bruce Wayne either.

[EliteF50]

Nor does he sound like what you'd imagine Bruce to sound like. But look at how that casting turned out.

[CConn]

Now, I'm not saying "Go Jensen Ackles!"

But I don't think he's any slouch when it comes to acting. Yeah, it's voice acting not live action, but he outshined the entire cast of Under the Red Hood. And that had actors the likes of Bruce Greenwood, Neil Patrick Harris, and Jason Issacs. And they're all pretty good actors.

[EliteF50]

Definitely. He was incredible as Jason Todd. I remember Andrea Romano said she was in tears during one of his takes.

[Rodrigo90]

I'll throw this name for Batman.

He's a fellow geordie and a Thor finalist, stars in SOA and Pacific Rim...Charlie Hunnam?

[Rockstar]

Originally Posted by EliteF50

Nolan isn't directing the reboot, sure he's staying on as producer, but hell, I doubt he'll even care, tbh. Nolan is done with Batman and he wants to move on with his career.

What did Henry Cavill do before Superman? Pretty much nothing..

Immortals with Tarsem

Whatever Works with Woody Allen

Showtime's critically acclaimed series "The Tudors"

He was also a previous finalist for Superman under another director.

Nolan had a big influence in the Man of Steel casting. Do you think Russell Crowe would take his first supporting role in years for someone as mediocre as Zack Snyder?

It's obvious that Warners want Nolan and Emma Thomas to shepherd the Batman reboot as well, as per Robinov.

Originally Posted by EliteF50

Yeah, because people actually went to go see TDK for Batman, right? And before you bring up there being no Joker in BB, that movie didn't make boat loads of money. It was a modest success.

The success of this franchise doesn't solely rely on Bale's performance. He's laughed at more than he's praised anyway...

I don't agree with that at all.

If you're referring to critics and general audiences, I'd like to see some proof of that from the reviews.


If you're referring to the online fans on SHH and Batmanonfilm, you're definitely wrong there by leaps and bounds. There's a huge reverence and respect for Bale on here. It's going to be amped up like crazy in a couple months. Guaranteed.

Originally Posted by EliteF50

Everything Bale didn't bring to Batman, Jensen could. Bale is a better actor, but Ackles is still pretty damn great and his performances have much more heart than any of Bale's (excluding his Oscar winning performance).

As CCon said, Bale's characters are often emotionally vacant, and so is his Bruce/Batman.

Bale's performances as Batman fit exactly how Nolan handled the character. Nothing more, nothing less.

To say Bale is incapable of giving performances with heart would be an erroneous statement, considering his other work.

Nolan's films didn't call for Bale to give any more than he actually gave. TDKR may be a whole new ballgame though.


To use a metaphor, in a sphere of acting Bale is a heavyweight champ. Ackles is a mediocre fighter who's never successfully fought in the big leagues and shows no potential of ever entering them.

Once Supernatural ends, I wouldn't be surprised if Ackles ends up on another low budget TV series, if anything.



When it comes to his suitability for a DC character based of what he's shown in Supernatural (since you wanted me to refer to that as a basis of his talent), if anything... the only characters his acting and everything else seem suited for are Flash and Guy Gardner.

Originally Posted by EliteF50

Oh yeah, because small comedies and Beetlejuice SCREAM Batman, right? Forget "My Bloody Valentine". Go watch a few SN episodes or look up some clips, he's got the talent.

Same can be said for Clooney, Kilmer and Keaton, yet they all got the role before. Were they good? Keaton sure as hell was and he looked or sounded absolutely NOTHING like Batman. Jensen has plenty of qualities needed for Batman.

Beetlejuice proved he could take direction from Tim Burton and transform into a Burton-esque role.

You're argument is flawed. You're saying Jensen 'supposedly' demonstrates the qualities needed for Batman, but your using the left field casting of Keaton as an example.

[MessiahDecoy123]

Jensen fits the Flash more than he does Batman.

Ditto for Ryan Reynolds who fit Flash better than Green Lantern.

[Jordacar]

DC needs to cast better. I hope MoS turns over a new leaf.