Brave and the Bold Casting Thread

[flickchick85]

Lee Pace is still my top choice for Batman lol. I never ruled it out, I’ve just said I have doubts they will cast that old. And I still do, regardless of Hal’s age.

 

[Eddie Dean]

Yeah I’m under the assumption that they’re going in that age range because of the plot, but I don’t see the correlation between one character being older and Batman being older.

 

[Invader Joker]

Lee Pace is still my top choice for Batman lol. I never ruled it out, I’ve just said I have doubts they will cast that old. And I still do, regardless of Hal’s age.

Yeah I’m under the assumption that they’re going in that age range because of the plot, but I don’t see the correlation between one character being older and Batman being older.

I don't think it's a matter of "Hal Jordan being older means Batman also has to be older", it's more about the general trend of the fact that Gunn has made absolutely zero point whatsoever on casting younger for anybody except the characters that for story reasons are established in the source material as young or he's establishing as younger (Superman, Jaime Reyes, John Stewart, Kendra) everyone else is 40+, and with the whole conceit of this Batman being "He has a son and an extended Bat-Family" I don't think Batman will fit into the "young" category of superheroes at all.

They're also clearly playing with a general theme here where the universe is populated by older heroes, but there are younger heroes as well. And based on everything we know Batman fits more with the former than the latter. There is pretty much absolutely nothing in the way they've been casting the DCU so far that'd indicate they'd prioritize youth for Batman even in the slightest. Out of the 7 male heroes/leads outside from Superman, 5 of them are over 40.

 

[SwordOfMorning]

Sometimes when reading this thread it really hits me that we're talking about who a man who will not be directing this movie will cast as Batman and it just hits me again what a moronically boring idea the DCU is.

 

[Eddie Dean]

I don't think it's a matter of "Hal Jordan being older means Batman also has to be older", it's more about the general trend of the fact that Gunn has made absolutely zero point whatsoever on casting younger for anybody except the characters that for story reasons are established in the source material as young or he's establishing as younger (Superman, Jaime Reyes, John Stewart, Kendra) everyone else is 40+, and with the whole conceit of this Batman being "He has a son and an extended Bat-Family" I don't think Batman will fit into the "young" category of superheroes at all.

They're also clearly playing with a general theme here where the universe is populated by older heroes, but there are younger heroes as well. And based on everything we know Batman fits more with the former than the latter. There is pretty much absolutely nothing in the way they've been casting the DCU so far that'd indicate they'd prioritize youth for Batman even in the slightest. Out of the 7 male heroes/leads outside from Superman, 5 of them are over 40.

You’re pulling from a small pool my friend. The only Justice league member cast so far is Superman!

Also didn’t Gunn say this ISN’T a young Superman story but one where he’s an established hero?

 

[Invader Joker]

You’re pulling from a small pool my friend. The only Justice league member cast so far is Superman!

Also didn’t Gunn say this ISN’T a young Superman story but one where he’s an established hero?

Guy Gardner is a Justice League member too, as is Metamorpho, and Mr. Terrific in some incarnations.

And Superman's an established hero but he's still on an "earlier stage of his career", which is evidenced by the fact that a major plot point is that it's gonna be his first time intervening on a geopolitical conflict (Which we know because Bassem Youssef spilled the beans on that). There is zero reason whatsoever to believe that a Batman that already has a son and a Bat-Family would be in the same position.

And you can say 7 characters is a small pool but that, combined with the fact that we know what the basic concept of this Batman is, is more than enough to go on. There is zero reason to think Gunn is prioritizing youth when casting on any level. Superman and John are clearly story things. Jaime Reyes was always a young hero. When it comes to literally anybody else they've been extremely open, and maybe even preferential to actors over 40.

 

[Eddie Dean]

This is what is called confirmation bias.

 

[Invader Joker]

This is what is called confirmation bias.

There is literally not a single thing I said that was false lol. The very first thing Gunn ever said regarding this Superman was that he was at an earlier stage on his career. And it's pretty much just fact in regards that most of the male heroes/leads aside from Superman are over 40 except John and Jaime.

 

[Eddie Dean]

The evidence is correct in cases of confirmation bias

 

[Invader Joker]

The evidence is correct in cases of confirmation bias

But I'm also not misrepresenting anything lol The 3 heroes that are in their 30s and younger are characters that for story reasons are meant to be that way, including Superman. The default beyond that is heroes in their 40s.

 

[flickchick85]

And I could just as easily say “they’re casting the heroes intended to carry their own franchises notably younger,” which would also be technically correct, but no less confirmation bias to fit a narrative I’m painting, as the sample size is simply too small to form any obvious patterns.

 

[Invader Joker]

And I could just as easily say “they’re casting the heroes intended to carry their own franchises notably younger,” which would also be technically correct, but no less confirmation bias to fit a narrative I’m painting.

Jaime Reyes doesn't have a franchise anymore, at best he'll be a supporting character in Booster Gold and other projects going forward. And John's franchise is shared with Hal and Guy, who are over 40. Peacemaker still has his show and he's 46. The actor picks seem very based around the stories they're telling with those characters rather than any pointless attempt at longevity, and there's no reason to think that a Batman with an extended Bat-Family would have the story requiring him to be younger. The problem with your statement is that it's just straight up incorrect, it's not "technically correct", it has no truth to it.

 

[flickchick85]

Jaime Reyes doesn't have a franchise anymore, at best he'll be a supporting character in Booster Gold and other projects going forward. And John's franchise is shared with Hal and Guy, who are over 40. Peacemaker still has his show and he's 46. The actor picks seem very based around the stories they're telling with those characters rather than any pointless attempt at longevity, and there's no reason to think that a Batman with an extended Bat-Family would have the story requiring him to be younger. The problem with your statement is that it's just straight up incorrect, it's not "technically correct", it has no truth to it.

Peacemaker ain’t gonna be carrying a franchise in 10 years, and wasn’t cast for the new DCU anyway. Hal is obviously meant to be “the vet” to John and could retire at any time in that role because there are other Lanterns who will inevitably take the spotlight. The only ones we have so far who are definitely carrying the future of the DCU are David and Milly.

 

[Tg11]

I do agree that I can see him as a finalist, especially seeing how the Superman stuff went.

If I had to pick which actors I can see the likeliest to end up as finalists whenever the inevitable "These 3 actors are set to screentest" news drops, it'd probably be 3 of these:
-Tom Brittney
-Brandon Sklenar
-Glen Powell
-Oliver Jackson Cohen
-Ethan Peck
-Ben Aldridge (Would be funny since he already played Thomas Wayne)
-Alan Ritchson
-Benjamin Walker
-Sam Heughan
-Lee Pace
-Tom Ellis

And if he's actually open to that level of fame and commitment: Josh Hartnett.

My ideal "these are the 3 finalists" list would probably be some mix of Lee, Brandon, and Aldridge. But I see it more likely as it ending up OJC or Brandon (can't decide which one feels more likely), Lee Pace, and maybe Powell or Ritchson who I doubt Gunn would want for Batman but I can see him wanting to establish some sort of relationship with either of them for some other role down the line, like Nic and Lex. Something like that.

Plus if any of these actors are going to be Batman, can they pass for being a father to a teenager?

 

[Babillygunn]

I’d say that anyone in the mid thirties would realistically be a parent of a teenager. So I’d say any of these guys on the list you all mention would pass muster.

 

[flickchick85]

Plus if any of these actors are going to be Batman, can they pass for being a father to a teenager?

Damian’s supposedly gonna be 10-years-old in this. Someone in their 30’s could work no problem.

 

[ArmsHeldOut]

Lee Pace is still my top choice for Batman lol. I never ruled it out, I’ve just said I have doubts they will cast that old. And I still do, regardless of Hal’s age.

I'd wager that quite a few of us share this exact sentiment. Don't get me wrong, Pace is a great fit (and my own top pick for the role as well), but it would be naive not to take his age into account. Gunn might simply be interested in casting someone several years younger for reasons we don't yet know. Are there enough crumbs laying about to allow for inferences? Sure, but no matter how good the reasoning behind the extrapolation is, it's important to keep in mind that it's still just extrapolation.

 

[Sawyer]

I don’t care about logic or likelihood, the younger y’all go, the older I’m going to keep going.

Charles Dance for Batman.

 

[Invader Joker]

Peacemaker ain’t gonna be carrying a franchise in 10 years, and wasn’t cast for the new DCU anyway. Hal is obviously meant to be “the vet” to John and could retire at any time in that role because there are other Lanterns who will inevitably take the spotlight. The only ones we have so far who are definitely carrying the future of the DCU are David and Milly.

Peacemaker is carrying a show. That's a franchise. And the "Hal could retire at any time" is a gigantic assumption lol. By the same token, I can say to you that with how much Gunn has teased JLI it's very likely that Guy Gardner will be a major character going forward. And hell, DCUleaks leaked the fact that Edi's already signed on to do a Strange Adventures project down the road if everything goes well. In general it's also likely that James has big plans for Mr. Terrific since it's one of his favorite characters and he's already introducing him in Superman.

The point I'm making is not "Gunn prefers older actors as a rule", but that he's casting based on what the story calls for, not based on what a pointless and shallow aim for a longevity that may never materialize could dictate. Superman is young because the story he came up with requires him to be young (A story about Superman dealing with his first geopolitical conflict, probably facing Lex Luthor for the first time, and probably still in the process of blossoming his relationship with Lois would not make sense with a 40 year old Superman) and Supergirl is young because she's Supergirl, she's always been young and in the comic he's adapting she's directly 21. By contrast, unless they're playing on a "young dad" angle (which would be idiotic) there are absolutely zero story reasons as to why a Batman that's at the centre of an extended Bat-Family which is already by Damian should be in his 30s. They could cast someone in their 30s, but I don't think it's gonna be their main priority as much as it is just getting the best person for the role of that type of Batman. If they have a perfect candidate in their 40s but then another one they like less but he's in his 30s, I do think James will go for the one in their 40s. There's no reason for him to care.

I'd wager that quite a few of us share this exact sentiment. Don't get me wrong, Pace is a great fit (and my own top pick for the role as well), but it would be naive not to take his age into account. Gunn might simply be interested in casting someone several years younger for reasons we don't yet know. Are there enough crumbs laying about to allow for inferences? Sure, but no matter how good the reasoning behind the extrapolation is, it's important to keep in mind that it's still just extrapolation.

The thing is: I do not think Gunn gives a **** about whether or not these actors can play the characters for 20 years, which is ultimately the actual concern you are talking about because does anyone actually doubt that Lee or any actor in their mid 40s for that matter could comfortably play Batman into their late 50s, an age in which plenty of action stars still do films with a lot of stuntwork? No. That is a complete non-issue. As long as they can do the 10 year plan, it's fine. I legitimately do not think that Gunn is even remotely expecting that whoever plays Batman in the DCU is still gonna be playing him in 15, 20 years. His main priority, as I think it is for every single character he's cast so far, is whether they fit the story they're telling now and that'll end in 10 years. There is nothing, and I do mean absolutely nothing in the way he's cast any of these characters, or any statement he's given, that indicates he's particularly losing sleep over the fact that any of these people might retire after 10 years. Hell, he most likely will be gone from DC after all this ends (he's gonna be 68 and I'd figure he wants to do other stuff as well) so why would he care if some of his actors retire with him?

I’d say that anyone in the mid thirties would realistically be a parent of a teenager. So I’d say any of these guys on the list you all mention would pass muster.

Damian’s supposedly gonna be 10-years-old in this. Someone in their 30’s could work no problem.

Damian's not the problem. Dick, Jason, Tim and the rest of the Bat-Family which don't necessarily see him as a father but do see him as a mentor and authority figure are. And all of those will be young adults. You can do the math to make any actor work I guess, but it ultimately comes down to gravitas and maturity, something that barely any actors in their 30s have.

 

[Eddie Dean]

Who’s says dick, Jason, etc are in the movie at all?

 

[Invader Joker]

Who’s says dick, Jason, etc are in the movie at all?

He's already teased Dick but regardless Jason will most likely be in the universe anyway. The term he used was literally "extended Bat-Family", so I'd figure a lot of his sidekicks are gonna be in the universe.

 

[flickchick85]

If they are, as long as Bruce is believably older than them, that’s all they need. It’s really not an issue.

 

[Invader Joker]

If they are, as long as Bruce is believably older than them, that’s all they need. It’s really not an issue.

It is an issue if you want to actually sell the dynamic to its full potential with actors that are believable as those type of imposing father/mentor figures, which the 30-40 age range really lacks in this current generation of actors. And again: Why do you think that Gunn cares about whether or not whoever plays Batman can still play him in 15-20 years when he's never said anything of the sort? Whatever happens, there will most likely be a new Bruce Wayne in 10 years anyway.

 

[flickchick85]

It is an issue if you want to actually sell the dynamic to its full potential with actors that are believable as those type of imposing father/mentor figures, which the 30-40 age range really lacks in this current generation of actors. And again: Why do you think that Gunn cares about whether or not whoever plays Batman can still play him in 15-20 years when he's never said anything of the sort? Whatever happens, there will most likely be a new Bruce Wayne in 10 years anyway.

Literally never said 15-20 years but honestly, I don’t care about this debate about what a man might do. We’ll see what he actually does, simple as that.

 

[Invader Joker]

Literally never said 15-20 years but honestly, I don’t care about this debate about what a man might do. We’ll see what he actually does, simple as that.

The thing is lasting for 15-20 years is literally the only reason they'd make a point at never going over 40 lol. Like I said, I don't think anyone has any doubts about the fact that a 45 year old can comfortably play Batman up till the time they end their tenure in their late 50s. Hell, an actor could probably start his tenure at 50 and end at 60 just fine as well. The "never cast over 40" thing only makes sense if you want to go way beyond 10 years. But 45-55, 46-57 it does not matter.