Brave and the Bold Casting Thread

[Boom]

It's a pity too because there is a lot about Theroux as Batman that I really like.

 

[SwordOfMorning]

It's a pity too because there is a lot about Theroux as Batman that I really like.

A big plus of him for this is I could really see him as classic Bronze Age Batman where he is dark and serious but there’s still a little bit of Adam West in him. Which I think is what they’ll go for here.

 

[TheWallCrawler]

Theroux or anyone else’s height should be borderline irrelevant but Gunn’s ****ing weird about height so it’s hard to imagine Batman won’t be well over six feet tall.

Why is height irrelevant? Now that the Wolverine will be recast soon, pretty much everyone wants a short king cause that's like an iconic aspect of him in comics. Batman is traditionally tall. I don't personally need anyone exceptionally tall, but maybe 6 feet minimum

 

[SwordOfMorning]

Why is height irrelevant? Now that the Wolverine will be recast soon, pretty much everyone wants a short king cause that's like an iconic aspect of him in comics. Batman is traditionally tall. I don't personally need anyone exceptionally tall, but maybe 6 feet minimum

Because it’s relatively easy to fake and I legit cannot imagine giving a damn about this. Michael Keaton is like 5,9 and his screen presence was vastly more intimidating than Ben Affleck who is roughly six million feet tall.

It’s cool that Rob for instance is so tall and they really emphasize it with how he’s framed and the boots which make him even taller but I just… it’s so superficial and irrelevant. You can make someone Theroux’s height look at least six feet tall, they made ninety six movies making RDJ look roughly par with very tall men. It’s a normal movie thing.

 

[Invader Joker]

Because it’s relatively easy to fake and I legit cannot imagine giving a damn about this. Michael Keaton is like 5,9 and his screen presence was vastly more intimidating than Ben Affleck who is roughly six million feet tall.

It’s cool that Rob for instance is so tall and they really emphasize it with how he’s framed and the boots which make him even taller but I just… it’s so superficial and irrelevant. You can make someone Theroux’s height look at least six feet tall, they made ninety six movies making RDJ look roughly par with very tall men. It’s a normal movie thing.

In this specific case I gotta say that with having a 6'4 Superman there is not a single part of me that wants a Batman under at least 5'11 in comparison though lol. Also it's not that easy to fake, most times it's obvious when it's being faked and it looks kinda stupid.
Also I don't find Keaton's Batman more intimidating than Affleck's like... at all? The way he's shot is more cool and mythical, but Affleck looks far more imposing. Also I think a big part of why they got Keaton's presence to work is that no one around him was much taller than he was, but that's already gonna go out the window with the DCU considering Corenswet.

I do think that especially in scenarios like this where Batman is gonna have to at some point be constantly around people waaaay more powerful than he is, his presence becomes significantly more important. It's easier to sell the idea that super powered beings would find him intimidating if his presence gets along with that; which is in part helped by height.

 

[Invader Joker]

 

[flickchick85]

In this specific case I gotta say that with having a 6'4 Superman there is not a single part of me that wants a Batman under at least 5'11 in comparison though lol. Also it's not that easy to fake, most times it's obvious when it's being faked and it looks kinda stupid.
Also I don't find Keaton's Batman more intimidating than Affleck's like... at all? The way he's shot is more cool and mythical, but Affleck looks far more imposing. Also I think a big part of why they got Keaton's presence to work is that no one around him was much taller than he was, but that's already gonna go out the window with the DCU considering Corenswet.

I do think that especially in scenarios like this where Batman is gonna have to at some point be constantly around people waaaay more powerful than he is, his presence becomes significantly more important. It's easier to sell the idea that super powered beings would find him intimidating if his presence gets along with that; which is in part helped by height.

There was NOTHING intimidating about Affleck’s Batman at all to me, so I have to agree with Sword that Keaton easily takes this one, height be damned.

 

[Invader Joker]

There was NOTHING intimidating about Affleck’s Batman at all to me, so I have to agree with Sword that Keaton easily takes this one, height be damned.

To each their own. I do think height helps with the presence massively, so I'm more inclined to agree with James Gunn on that.

 

[Eddie Dean]

I think Superman being taller than Batman is probably better for their dynamic onscreen tbh

 

[Invader Joker]

I think Superman being taller than Batman is probably better for their dynamic onscreen tbh

As a general rule of thumb I wouldn't mind having someone of Gyllenhaal's height next to Corenswet but Justin Theroux is a bit too much for me lol.

Also besides the height I do not think he'd be particularly interesting for Bruce anyway. He was great in The Leftovers but him as Batman just gives me "Eh, we can do better.", and there are other roles that might fit him better as well. Too much of an "everyman" quality to him.

 

[SwordOfMorning]

In this specific case I gotta say that with having a 6'4 Superman there is not a single part of me that wants a Batman under at least 5'11 in comparison though lol. Also it's not that easy to fake, most times it's obvious when it's being faked and it looks kinda stupid.
Also I don't find Keaton's Batman more intimidating than Affleck's like... at all? The way he's shot is more cool and mythical, but Affleck looks far more imposing. Also I think a big part of why they got Keaton's presence to work is that no one around him was much taller than he was, but that's already gonna go out the window with the DCU considering Corenswet.

I do think that especially in scenarios like this where Batman is gonna have to at some point be constantly around people waaaay more powerful than he is, his presence becomes significantly more important. It's easier to sell the idea that super powered beings would find him intimidating if his presence gets along with that; which is in part helped by height.

I like Affleck as Batman (more as Bruce, well, okay A LOT more as Bruce) but there’s nothing intimidating about him. He just looks like a big Sasquatch with a doofy squished face. It says something that he’s a far bigger dude than Pattinson yet doesn’t seem remotely as imposing and, again, same with Keaton.

Please give examples of when it was fake and distracting cause I can point you to entire film franchises where the average person would have no idea it was being done. There are entirely filmographies of massive movie stars where it’s done in every single role they’ve had.

 

[Invader Joker]

I like Affleck as Batman (more as Bruce, well, okay A LOT more as Bruce) but there’s nothing intimidating about him. He just looks like a big Sasquatch with a doofy squished face. It says something that he’s a far bigger dude than Pattinson yet doesn’t seem remotely as imposing and, again, same with Keaton.

Please give examples of when it was fake and distracting cause I can point you to entire film franchises where the average person would have no idea it was being done. There are entirely filmographies of massive movie stars where it’s done in every single role they’ve had.

I mean I always thought that it was really obvious RDJ was much shorter than what they tried to portray him as being.

 

[SwordOfMorning]

I mean I always thought that it was really obvious RDJ was much shorter than what they tried to portray him as being.

And I don’t think most people would ever notice, although it was a total waste of time to do in the MCU because while I DGAF about height in general it is extra irrelevant for Tony. I also point you to Tom Cruise’s entire filmography, tons and tons of other actors have it done as well. It’s SOP. That’s part of why Gunn being so weird about it makes him look like a prick.

Ultimately, you’ll get your wish. I’m increasingly certain Gunn’s casting decisions for the DCU are going to be shockingly vanilla . Batman will be some massive black haired beefcake just like Superman is a loaf of wonder bread in human form.

 

[Invader Joker]

And I don’t think most people would ever notice, although it was a total waste of time to do in the MCU because while I DGAF about height in general it is extra irrelevant for Tony. I also point you to Tom Cruise’s entire filmography, tons and tons of other actors have it done as well. It’s SOP. That’s part of why Gunn being so weird about it makes him look like a prick.

Ultimately, you’ll get your wish. I’m increasingly certain Gunn’s casting decisions for the DCU are going to be shockingly vanilla . Batman will be some massive black haired beefcake just like Superman is a loaf of wonder bread in human form.

I mean it's not like there are currently many outside the box picks for Batman that'd be magnificent anyway though lmao.

Even something as simple as height I can't really think of any actor under 5'11 that'd be so good it'd be a waste to not have him as Batman. If what we're losing is Justin Theroux, Finn Wittrock, Richard Madden, etc I'm A-Okay with that. There's not really any modern day Michael Keaton that'd be realistic for this and even if there was, would something like the DCU /really/ be the best place to use such an unorthodox take on Batman? I don't think so.

 

[Pfeiffer-Pfan]

I think Batman is all about presence and atmosphere, and in that regard, Keaton and Pattinson are the best in the live-action field.

Affleck, and to a degree Bale (post Begins), overact through the costume a little too much.

 

[Eddie Dean]

The fact that every Batman actor is so different and they all do at least a passing job really reinstates my belief that any good actor that's not drastically physically unfit for Batman could play the role.

 

[Invader Joker]

I think Batman is all about presence and atmosphere, and in that regard, Keaton and Pattinson are the best in the live-action field.

Affleck, and to a degree Bale (post Begins), overact through the costume a little too much.

That is true, but when we're talking about the DCU where Batman is not gonna be in the same controlled atmosphere in every movie and where he's gonna be interacting in a variety of different heightened scenarios and through different directors and visions, it'd probably work the best if they got an actor that was physically imposing and that can visually work wherever in whatever costume and setting, as well as having that acting presence you're talking about. It doesn't have to be or the other, it can be both and for this it should be both.

 

[Invader Joker]

The fact that every Batman actor is so different and they all do at least a passing job really reinstates my belief that any good actor that's not drastically physically unfit for Batman could play the role.

Just because they could do a passing job doesn't mean they should or that they'd be the best choice. Casting should be about getting the best fit for the role, not a "well they could be ok i guess"

 

[Eddie Dean]

It's less that and more that the role offers a lot of room for interruption and different approaches.

 

[Invader Joker]

It's less that and more that the role offers a lot of room for interruption and different approaches.

The thing is that even at these early stages we have en extremely good idea of the context in which this Batman will be existing and the kind of cast that'll be surrounding him so I do think that makes a difference in terms of figuring out who fits and who doesn't.

 

[SwordOfMorning]

We've had so many iterations of almost all of these characters by now that we should be in full fledged experimental mode. Sort of like how I don't ever need a particularly classic, old school James Bond ever again.

 

[Invader Joker]

We've had so many iterations of almost all of these characters by now that we should be in full fledged experimental mode now. Sort of like how I don't ever need a particularly classic, old school James Bond ever again.

I'd argue we've never actually had this sort of hyper modern comic-booky take on Batman in the big screen before though. We've had takes that are inspired by it to different extents, like I'm not gonna be acting like Bale, Affleck and Pattinson are sooo far away from the comic, but there is a certain quintissential TAS/Arkham games/Modern comics type of Batman that we've yet to see in live action that is kinda obvious the DCU will probably aim for.

Affleck tried to be that in part, and he could've been that, but the whole thing fell on its ass with the worst worldbuilding imaginable and movies that didn't live up to that potential at all. And the whole purpose of the DCU is to try to live up to the potential that the DCEU couldn't.

 

[SwordOfMorning]

I'd argue we've never actually had this sort of hyper modern comic-booky take on Batman in the big screen before though. We've had takes that are inspired by it to different extents, like I'm not gonna be acting like Bale, Affleck and Pattinson are sooo far away from the comic, but there is a certain quintissential TAS/Arkham games/Modern comics type of Batman that we've yet to see in live action that is kinda obvious the DCU will probably aim for.

Affleck tried to be that in part, and he could've been that, but the whole thing fell on its ass with the worst worldbuilding imaginable and movies that didn't live up to that potential at all. And the whole purpose of the DCU is to try to live up to the potential that the DCEU couldn't.

I guess, but that version of the character is one that has been explored to death in basically every other medium that there is something aggressively underwhelming about about that being the take in a big live action movie. But I find this whole enterprise entirely pointless and uninteresting, as I've said before. Personally, my ideal for this movie would be a Keaton scenario where a mostly comedic actor gets to show their dramatic chops - a Bill Hader type, especially since I am entirely convinced there will be a heavy comedic element present. I know we all think it'll be classic Morrison Batgod but you also have to factor in Gunn's sensibilities and the fact that this project was at the very least conceived as one that Muschietti was a fit for.

 

[Invader Joker]

I guess, but that version of the character is one that has been explored to death in basically every other medium that there is something aggressively underwhelming about about that being the take in a big live action movie. But I find this whole enterprise entirely pointless and uninteresting, as I've said before. Personally, my ideal for this movie would be a Keaton scenario where a mostly comedic actor gets to show their dramatic chops - a Bill Hader type, especially since I am entirely convinced there will be a heavy comedic element present.

I'm still skeptical on the comedic element, mostly because it'll depend a lot on who writes the thing and directs it (still think Muschietti's incompetent ass is getting fired) but idk, you can argue that take on Batman has been explored in other mediums but like, there is a gigantic portion of the general audience that has no idea that take on Batman even exists so I do think there is something to the idea of finally introducing that quintissential take on Batman to the GA in something like the DCU. It's the same thing as how you can argue that Superman has also had adaptations like that in animated shows and movies, but yet the modern audience still has no idea as to what a good version of traditional Superman looks like.

For the average joe out there, ironically enough a comic-accurate Batman and Superman would probably be a revelation lol

 

[SwordOfMorning]

I'm still skeptical on the comedic element, mostly because it'll depend a lot on who writes the thing and directs it (still think Muschietti's incompetent ass is getting fired) but idk, you can argue that take on Batman has been explored in other mediums but like, there is a gigantic portion of the general audience that has no idea that take on Batman even exists so I do think there is something to the idea of finally introducing that quintissential take on Batman to the GA in something like the DCU. It's the same thing as how you can argue that Superman has also had adaptations like that in animated shows and movies, but yet the modern audience still has no idea as to what a good version of traditional Superman looks like.

I get what you're saying but this is to an extent a work for hire project. There is presumably a base line concept for this movie and I do not buy for a second that part of the appeal for Gunn about this choice of material is not the inherent comedic value of a grouchy child murdering people with a katana while his Batdad shouts at him to stop murdering people with a katana. I think Muschietti was chosen because he was, in their minds, suited to that because of the mix of classic superhero stuff and weird gross comedy in The Flash.

There's a big difference between there never having been a good Superman movie inspired by post-crisis comics and this. Tbh, I think that sort of archetypal Batman could very easily just come off as vanilla - the big thing this movie has going for it in terms of maybe being something special is less that and more the Bat Family. Another thing to consider is that, in my opinion, the GAs idea of of the quintessential Batman is first and foremost The Dark Knight Trilogy - what excites them and gets them interested is stuff that evokes it, like Joker and The Batman.