Batman/Bruce Wayne Casting Thread - Part 4

[Rorschach2012]

Henry Golding is a much better option for Bruce if they want an Asian Batman. Also, the idea that anyone who could play Nightwing could also play Batman is laughable and suggests a strong misunderstanding of both characters and their differences. Of course there's a loophole since Dick Grayson has donned the Bat-mantle before...

Henry Golding

He's 31 and 6'1, and he's rising fast in Hollywood right now. He'd be a pretty great option.

Steven Yeun is a really bad idea for Batman, and not because he's Asian.

 

[Eddie Dean]

You guys need to watch Burning (It has subtitles, it's gonna be hard for some of you, I know), Yeun has everything Bruce Wayne needs in that movie. It's his American Psycho.

 

[thebatfan5194]

Henry Golding could be an interesting choice if they wanted to race-bend the character.

Like Vision said though I don’t see that happening anytime soon.

 

[flickchick85]

See, I like Golding much better for Bruce than for Superman as I’ve seen him suggested for more often.

 

[Rorschach2012]

See, I like Golding much better for Bruce than for Superman as I’ve seen him suggested for more often.

I think he has the requisite coldness for Bruce.

 

[David H.]

Also, the idea that anyone who could play Nightwing could also play Batman is laughable and suggests a strong misunderstanding of both characters and their differences. Of course there's a loophole since Dick Grayson has donned the Bat-mantle before....

Based solely off of looks, and, let’s be honest, that’s 90% of the reasoning for the suggestions made here, you’re drawing from the same well for both characters.

 

[Boy Scout]

I don’t really want him for either, but Golding is much more of a Superman than a Batman IMO. At least based off of what I saw from him in CRA.

 

[Invader Joker]

I hope I'm not racist for not wanting an Asian Bruce Wayne.

 

[Eddie Dean]

You are.

 

[Rorschach2012]

I hope I'm not racist for not wanting an Asian Bruce Wayne.

A racebent Batman is inevitable. I don’t know if it’ll happen this time though.

 

[ArmsHeldOut]

The only problem casting as Asian Bruce is that it doesn't allow for him to have those "old money" connections that are so vital to storylines like Court of Owls. I might take some heat for this, but the majority of families born into American Aristocracy (I'm talking inherited wealth going back multiple generations in the US, as opposed to those who recently acquired their fortune) were exclusively white and Protestant. That's just how it was. Even the all-powerful Kennedys were considered a separate class back then on account of them coming into money a good bit later than other notable old rich families, and also because they were Catholics (who were largely discriminated against once upon a time).

I suppose the filmmakers could make Bruce partially Asian on his maternal side and white on his father's, which would account for him still having access to all the privilege that comes with being a Wayne, the mansion, the pedigree, etc. Even so, I think Superman better lends himself to the racebending treatment given that he technically doesn't belong to any specific ethnic group on Earth.

 

[Eddie Dean]

You’ve never heard of “crazy rich Asians”?

 

[ArmsHeldOut]

You’ve never heard of “crazy rich Asians”?

American Aristocracy or "old money" refers to inherited wealth going back multiple generations in the US specifically, which is how Bruce Wayne is traditionally described. The characters in CRA, by contrast, established their fortune in Singapore and other parts of Asia. Ugly as it sounds, they wouldn't have been welcomed to participate in the same social circles as the Rockefellers and the DuPonts. It was a very elitist society.

 

[David H.]

Counter: Batman is fake and so is Gotham and it’s history.

 

[Eddie Dean]

Also, who cares?

 

[ArmsHeldOut]

Counter: Batman is fake and so is Gotham and it’s history.

Yeah, but even fictional works, especially the more grounded ones, tend to acknowledge historical or factual events, the more basic ones anyway. Previous Batman films, for instance, have included references to the Underground Railroad and even the North American fur trade.

 

[David H.]

How do you feel about it co-existing with Atlantis?

 

[Rorschach2012]

How do you feel about it co-existing with Atlantis?

Your argument is silly and can be taken to the extreme. Since Batman is “fake” anything can be changed then... why does he have to wear a black suit? Why does Batman have to be a man? Why can’t he be a 5 ft tall Asian woman in a pink costume if it’s fake and made up? That said, I don’t care if we get an Asian Batman, but some things need to remain intact for the character to still be recognizable as Batman.

 

[ArmsHeldOut]

How do you feel about it co-existing with Atlantis?

That would mostly depend on Reeves' unique approach to the film. If he embraces the more fantastical elements of the Batman universe, I'd be all for it. However, if he's looking to impart a greater sense of verisimilitude à la Chris Nolan, I'd probably be less open to including the more otherworldly aspects of the comics. Having said that, I don't have a problem with the coexistence of these kinds of disparate elements per se. I just expect logical consistency w/ regard to subject matter that clearly has some basis in the real world. For instance, Nazi soldiers in a WW film probably shouldn't be cast with say, Palestinian actors! lol

 

[frankgutz]

Also, who cares?

a lot of ppl, u can tell from the discussion of the no-kill rule broken by Snyder, it would be chaos
i wouldnt mind if the movie is great tbh

 

[David H.]

Your argument is silly and can be taken to the extreme. Since Batman is “fake” anything can be changed then... why does he have to wear a black suit? Why does Batman have to be a man? Why can’t he be a 5 ft tall Asian woman in a pink costume if it’s fake and made up?

Only if you want it to. I’m not arguing for that, just that it seems too big of a stretch for some of y’all to accept that this “old money Batman lore” is superfluous and in no way impedes the chances of the character being portrayed as a person of color.

Bottom line: people don’t actually care about the Wayne family history or how accurately Gotham (fictionally) developed in relation to the larger United Stares as we know it in the real world.

I just expect logical consistency w/ regard to subject matter that clearly has some basis in the real world. For instance, Nazi soldiers in a WW film probably shouldn't be cast with say, Palestinian actors! lol

When you’ve established that literal gods exist in your fictional universe, it really does mean you can sidestep all this overtly scrupulous world building because it was unnecessary to begin with. That doesn’t mean it’s okay to change the races/origins/agendas of actual historical figures or groups, should they factor in the fictional narrative, because, y’know, they’d be based on real figures/groups, but it does mean you can take liberties with the fictional characters/groups that said fictional narrative primarily focuses on.

 

[Sawyer]

If we're race-bending Batman, it's Oscar Isaac or bust. Period.

 

[Eddie Dean]

Oscar Isaac is passing, anyways. He played the King of England for god's sake.

 

[ArmsHeldOut]

Only if you want it to. I’m not arguing for that, just that it seems too big of a stretch for some of y’all to accept that this “old money Batman lore” is superfluous and in no way impedes the chances of the character being portrayed as a person of color.

Bottom line: people don’t actually care about the Wayne family history or how accurately Gotham (fictionally) developed in relation to the larger United Stares as we know it in the real world.

I'm not saying it can't happen. I'd just prefer that the studio not take this route for the reasons specified above—at least for the time being.

What the larger audience wants or cares about doesn't mean a whole lot to me, as important as I know they are in the scheme of things.

When you’ve established that literal gods exist in your fictional universe, it really does mean you can sidestep all this overtly scrupulous world building because it was unnecessary to begin with. That doesn’t mean it’s okay to change the races/origins/agendas of actual historical figures or groups, should they factor in the fictional narrative, because, y’know, they’d be based on real figures/groups, but it does mean you can take liberties with the fictional characters/groups that said fictional narrative primarily focuses on.

Oh, sure, as a director with your own specific vision, you can reimagine the character as you see fit. Again, though, I was mostly speaking to my own preferences, as I'm rather fond of certain elements Bruce's wealth and pedigree affords him. The aforementioned Court of Owls story arc, in particular, touches upon the Wayne family's long history in Gotham as relates to the Owls themselves. More broadly, the idea that they played a significant role in the city's construction, literally building bridges and such, has always appealed to me. Now, if you were to change Bruce's backstory so that his ancestors had yet to even emigrate their native land for Gotham when it was still in its infancy (as you'd need to if he was Asian-American), all of that rich mythology surrounding his old Gotham roots would have to be changed along with it. On the other hand, leaving him as he's traditionally been portrayed allows for telling clever and interesting stories like the time his forebears Joshua and Solomon Wayne used the tunnels of what would eventually become the Batcave to help freed slaves cross over to the North in the early to mid-19th century. Changing or foregoing all that just to accommodate an actor feels like putting the cart before the horse is all.

 

[Eddie Dean]

Remember when all that stuff was ever used in a Batman movie before? Me neither.