Batman/Bruce Wayne Casting Thread - Part 1

[KevTravels]

From his IMDB page,

Jake has the following projects in pre-production. An untitled film with Benedict Cumberbatch, a film by the name of The Anarchists vs ISIS, a Netflix with his director from Nightcrawler and the adaptation of the video game "The Division"

He just finished two indies - Wildlife and The Brother Sisters

I'd love to see him do the first of those four, so hopefully him signing on for Batman won't have him exit those projects.

 

[Greenlite]

Conveniently he has no reason to be out speaking with the press, so there's no real opportunity to do so. We might get something during the Golden Globes or Oscars, if an interviewer there is knowledgeable of the rumors.

He did interview Margot Robbie recently (and asked a question about HQ) which doesn't mean jack but still looks funny and intriguing.

How different does Reeves want to make this Batman from Affleck's or Bale's BW/Batman?

Reeves' Apes movies were a bit somber and depressing at times, if I dare say. So I hope his Batman movies are more energetic, for the lack of a better word, than those.

Matt kept on using the key word "emotions" and war of Apes is one Of my favorite films I cried from start to end lol so hopefully that's the main differentiation of his Batman - Bat family, tragedy, hope, emotions, and he mentioned about Noir detective story so that would be very different to what we've got on live action movies so far. Nolan wasn't that great at emotions 2005-2012 (interstellar was great on that aspect though, father-daughter part esp), and Ben and Terrio did some detective stuff in BvS which I liked and hopefully we get more of that in a proper solo film.

 

[BatsAndNights]

If Affleck leaves the DCEU, my perfect casting choice for the Bat is still Scott Adkins. The man has actual martial arts experience, has proven he can act pretty damn well when need be, is fairly unknown, looks like Batman in the same way that everyone else on this list does, is a good 5 years younger than Affleck and he's even got his own personal experience with a similar tragedy to Bruce Wayne (albeit significantly less serious) which he can draw from in his performance. Hell, his role in the movie Ninja is pretty damn similar to Bruce Wayne while travelling around the world, if I say so myself. He even performs his own stunts!

While I'd be perfectly okay with either Jake, Hamm or even any other fan casting choices, to me Adkins might as well be the best Batman we've never seen.

 

[shauner111]

He can't act.

 

[BatsAndNights]

He can't act.

To me, whether or not someone can act is something that's quite subjective but I'mma explain why I believe he can. While the movies he's been in and the roles he's had imply that he's not got the acting talent needed for the "Big Leagues", even people like Paul Giamatti tends to be in movies which go straight to DVD so I don't believe his filmography should necessarily define his ability as an actor. I honestly believe if given the chance in a role like this, Adkins would pull through. Hell, even in some of his movies like Undisputed 3 and Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning, he's shown he can act at least reasonably well when need be.

Edit: Got one of the movies wrong, was thinking of Universal Soldier

 

[shauner111]

He's only being considered by fans because of his look and ability as a martial artist. He's nothing more than a b level action star. When you have to go to one of these guys (the Van Damme's of the world), then we're really scraping the bottom of the barrel when we should be aiming for the clouds. Bruce Wayne needs a great actor first and foremost. A good actor will then be able to adapt into a physical role. They don't need to already be ripped, or be a stuntman/martial artist. None of that matters. We need an actor who is skilled, who can portray two or even three sides and bring gravitas and emotion to the role. Adkins is not experienced enough.

 

[LaughterLives]

He would've been a million times better than Affleck. At the very least, he wouldn't have been so smug.
Adkins is my top choice foe Kraven The Hunter doh. And I hope we see that in a Venom movie.

 

[shauner111]

The character itself was smug in these DCEU movies, so i don't think Adkins would have fit.

 

[Eddie Dean]

Scott was in Doctor Strange. He can't be Batman now.

 

[BatsAndNights]

He's only being considered by fans because of his look and ability as a martial artist. He's nothing more than a b level action star. When you have to go to one of these guys (the Van Damme's of the world), then we're really scraping the bottom of the barrel when we should be aiming for the clouds. Bruce Wayne needs a great actor first and foremost. A good actor will then be able to adapt into a physical role. They don't need to already be ripped, or be a stuntman/martial artist. None of that matters. We need an actor who is skilled, who can portray two or even three sides and bring gravitas and emotion to the role. Adkins is not experienced enough.

Assuming that because Adkins is a B Level Action Star that he's a bad actor is pretty premature in my opinion. Look at Michael Keaton for crying out loud. Before Beetlejuice, he was starring in comedies which other than Mr. Mom, Gung Ho and maybe Night Shift did pretty...**** at the box office. When he got cast as Batman, he practically got lynched because people didn't think he could pull it off due to his inexperience with more serious work and his less than accurate look. Just under 30 years later and you'll find your fair share of people claiming Keaton was the best Batman ever.

Long story short, don't let the genre the actor stars in define his acting ability. Because it honestly doesn't.

Edit: Also, if I thought Adkins was a bad actor and only had the look and his martial arts going for him, I wouldn't consider Adkins for a second. I do agree that the casting choice needs to be a good actor first. The martial arts stuff and his look is just icing on the cake for me which makes him a great choice.

 

[shauner111]

He's a bad actor because he's a bad actor. Not because he's a b level action star. Keaton was not a b level action star.

If it's not a great actor who i'm a fan of, i'm passing on seeing it in the theater. They won't get my money after the DCEU crap.

The fact that we've gone from Christian friggin Bale to Ben Affleck and are now talking about Scott Adkins makes me really really sad.

 

[BatsAndNights]

Scott was in Doctor Strange. He can't be Batman now.

While a fair point, Scott's character in Strange isn't exactly coming back anytime soon. Hell, if Ryan Reynolds can go from Green Lantern to Deadpool, Josh Brolin can go from Cable to Thanos (practically concurrently) and Ayelet Zurer can go from Superman's mother on Krypton to Kingpin's fiancee on Daredevil, I don't see why Adkins switching from Marvel to DC can't happen.

 

[BatsAndNights]

He's a bad actor because he's a bad actor. Not because he's a b level action star. Keaton was not a b level action star.

If it's not a great actor who i'm a fan of, i'm passing on seeing it in the theater. They won't get my money after the DCEU crap.

The fact that we've gone from Christian friggin Bale to Ben Affleck and are now talking about Scott Adkins makes me really really sad.

Fair enough if you see him as just a bad actor, I ain't gonna try and fault that.

 

[LaughterLives]

The character itself was smug in these DCEU movies, so i don't think Adkins would have fit.

Affleck made him smug.
There's a difference between Smug and arrogant. Batman is Arrogant but he's not smug. Adkins can do arrogant like no ones business. He is the most complete fighter in the world *Russian accent*

 

[LaughterLives]

Scott was in Doctor Strange. He can't be Batman now.

He Died in that movie. He can absolutely be Batman now.

 

[shauner111]

While a fair point, Scott's character in Strange isn't exactly coming back anytime soon. Hell, if Ryan Reynolds can go from Green Lantern to Deadpool, Josh Brolin can go from Cable to Thanos (practically concurrently) and Ayelet Zurer can go from Superman's mother on Krypton to Kingpin's fiancee on Daredevil, I don't see why Adkins switching from Marvel to DC can't happen.

Pretty sure he was being sarcastic.

 

[BatsAndNights]

Affleck made him smug.
There's a difference between Smug and arrogant. Batman is Arrogant but he's not smug. Adkins can do arrogant like no ones business. He is the most complete fighter in the world *Russian accent*

Plus, if Flashpoint happens and they use that to recast Batman, some minor personality changes wouldn't exactly be too far-fetched.

 

[BatsAndNights]

Pretty sure he was being sarcastic.

Eh, it tends to be a bit hard to tell on the internet.

 

[shauner111]

Yeah especially if you're not used to the way we talk about casting around these parts. Welcome to the forum btw.

 

[BatsAndNights]

Yeah especially if you're not used to the way we talk about casting around these parts. Welcome to the forum btw.

Thanks, glad to be here. XD

 

[LaughterLives]

Plus, if Flashpoint happens and they use that to recast Batman, some minor personality changes wouldn't exactly be too far-fetched.

It'd be a course correction in my eyes. The Quicker Affleck is gone, the better. He was a mistake from the beginning cuz the dude can't act at all outside of comedic roles or roles that suit his smugness.
Batman is not a smug character and So Affleck was miscast. He was the worst thing about BvS and JL.

 

[BatsAndNights]

It'd be a course correction in my eyes. The Quicker Affleck is gone, the better. He was a mistake from the beginning cuz the dude can't act at all outside of comedic roles or roles that suit his smugness.
Batman is not a smug character and So Affleck was miscast. He was the worst thing about BvS and JL.

To be honest, I don't hate Battfleck. If in terms of comparing him to the comics or (my personal definitive version) the DCAU's Batman, Battfleck is pretty crap even I'll admit. But judging from the fact that BvS practically threw the No Killing rule out the window and made him significantly more impulsive, it's kinda obvious bringing the definitive Batman to the big screen wasn't Snyder's intention (not even going to talk about Battfleck in JL, what an abomination). In terms of being his own elseworld version of Batman, I liked Battfleck a lot. In the same way that I liked Injustice's Superman. It's a version of the character we've never seen before. A Batman who actually crosses the line he's refused to cross and has had to come back from it.

Although yeah, the sooner we actually get a goddamn definitive Batman on the big screen, the better.

 

[LaughterLives]

I prefer A Batman who kills. It's only one of many reasons Keaton/Burton's is still the best.
Keaton Played A Rich Man whose actually psychologically crazy wearing a demon Bat-suit so killing worked better.
Affleck played a Rich Man who thinks he's right about everything and smiles/smirks whenever he shuts someone up with his words or weapons cuz of his sense of self satisfaction/ego while looking like a grumpy cat.

You like what you like doh. I'd take almost any decent actor over Affleck. At the very least, Adkins has proved he has range.

 

[BatsAndNights]

I prefer A Batman who kills. It's only one of many reasons Keaton/Burton's is still the best.
Keaton Played A Rich Man whose actually psychologically crazy wearing a demon Bat-suit so killing worked better.
Affleck played a Rich Man who thinks he's right about everything and smiles/smirks whenever he shuts someone up with his words or weapons cuz of his sense of self satisfaction/ego while looking like a grumpy cat.

You like what you like doh. I'd take almost any decent actor over Affleck. At the very least, Adkins has proved he has range.

To be honest, I both prefer and don't prefer a Batman who kills. I do think that a Batman who kills is a significantly more efficient hero and more successful in terms of keeping Gotham safe. However...I also think that a Batman who kills is a significantly less interesting character than one who doesn't. To me, the no killing rule is not something Batman has which gives him the moral high ground. There are plenty of heroes, both in comics and in reality who have killed. No, the no killing rule to me is a character flaw. Not in the sense that it makes Bruce Wayne a bad character, but in that it's a flaw he as a person deals with.

When Batman kills, it's as you said, he's just a rich psycho who wears a bat costume and likes killing criminals. When he doesn't kill though, to me he's just a more interesting character. If anything, the no killing rule is a testament to the broken psyche of Bruce Wayne, who's clinging onto the no killing rule so he can tell himself he isn't Joe Chill. Would he be like Joe Chill if he did kill when necessary? Not really. But that's how Bruce would see himself. And the fact that he can't cross that line out of fear that he'd see himself in that way is just so goddamn fascinating to me. If anything, the no killing rule makes Batman crazier than if he does kill because at least if he does kill, he's rational enough that he can be realistic about what he'll have to do in order to be truly successful at protecting Gotham. That's what the no killing rule makes Batman into. A truly fragile man clinging onto anything and everything he can in order to be as different to the man who killed his parents as possible and with the idealistic naivety of an 8 year old who wants his city to be perfect when in truth...that simply isn't possible.

 

[Eddie Dean]

I don't want a Batman who pulls out a gun and shoots people in the face, but I do things fans are a little overzealous with the no killing role. Action movies have developed a language over the years and Batman running an anonymous car full of thugs off the road or firing missiles into a warehouse doesn't really count as killing to me.