Brave and the Bold Casting Thread

[The Lazarus Pit]

Eh... how would Ryan Gosling fit Batman more than Lee Pace does?

Ryan Gosling doesn’t look the part and I’m not pretending he does. IMO Lee Pace doesn’t look the part either but people are saying he does.

I think Pace and Gosling both don’t really look like Bruce Wayne but they’d both probably do a good job regardless.

Pace could be a good Batman from an acting standpoint, and yes he is tall and in shape, but his face just does not look like Batman to me at all. I’m very familiar with how he looks too and have looked at a bunch of pictures of him trying to see Batman in him but I just don’t see it visually. He can act the part though for sure.

I think I would rather have someone who looks the part and has chops though. That’s why I’m leaning towards Tom Cullen. But if we’re going mainly based on chops rather than look, I’d rather have Gosling than Pace.

We can do a lot worse than Pace I would be fine with it. I just don’t get why people think he is perfect for it. He would be good but there are tons of actors I’d much rather see in the role.

 

[SwordOfMorning]

Tom Cullen would be fine but he reminds me of Corenswet where he’s such a generic choice that it’s really hard to imagine it being anything special.

It all comes down to perception of the character guess, I honestly do think Pace has the ‘look’ apart from not having the super comic booky square face. He’s a big, tall, dark, handsome dude with a brooding presence.

 

[The Lazarus Pit]

Yes I see Tom Cullen and David Corenswet being very similar choices. They could work well together. Cullen looks like so many versions of Bruce Wayne. I really see Neal Adams in him.

I like these three for the Trinity, they’re all very similar choices imo

Superman - David Corenswet
Batman - Tom Cullen
Wonder Woman - Melissanthi Mahut

 

[Invader Joker]

Are there any clips that could give a good reference to Cullen's acting? I mean, I guess that if Batman for some reason /has/ to be in his 30s I'd be fine with him.

 

[Invader Joker]

Tom Cullen would be fine but he reminds me of Corenswet where he’s such a generic choice that it’s really hard to imagine it being anything special.

It all comes down to perception of the character guess, I honestly do think Pace has the ‘look’ apart from not having the super comic booky square face. He’s a big, tall, dark, handsome dude with a brooding presence.

Even compared to Corenswet, Pace still strikes me as a better fit for the reasons I mentioned before. What I find cool about him is that he checks every single box that you'd expect a Batman casting to check yet he'd still undoubtedly be awesome. It's exceedingly easy to imagine how they'd work as the two leads of this universe.

Ironically enough Cullen strikes me more as a fit for Brittney or Richardson, especially seeing how their backgrounds are pretty similar, working primarily in british productions that aren't well known at all.

 

[J.Drangal]

I'm all for "out of the box" castings, and I really like Gosling. Yet, while he's completely capable of displaying that tense calm under which you senses something is about to crack, which could be an advantage for Batman, it just doesn't "click" in my mind.
I could see him as Two-Face though, but at the same time, his name is brought-up so often that it seems a bit dull now to suggest him...

I have never seen anything Lee Pace has done, and from images alone, he doesn't feel right for the part.

Anything to recommend that could show him in a good light and change my mind?

Same, and I just find out that he was that villain in the first Guardians of the Galaxy... Robert the Abuser or whatever it was... But hey, I don't think anyone could have shined in there aha.

There's a few pictures online of the guy where I can "see it" though, but I have flexibility on the look anyway. I need to see/feel what he can give off.

This clip alone is enough of a sell on why he'd be a perfect Bruce.

Ok, I see/feel it.

I am way more concerned about acting skills, presence and demeanor than I am about the character being a 1-1 match with the illustrations of the comic. .

Absolutely.
And this is where Michael Keaton says "hi".

 

[ArmsHeldOut]

For what it's worth, I think Pace looks more like the character in live action than he does in still photos if that makes any sense. Just the same, here's a still where he looks Bruce Wayne AF to me.

 

[Invader Joker]

I feel he looks more like Bruce Wayne than West, Keaton, Kilmer and as much as Bale did if not more than him as well. I really can't find any problems with his appearance. He's not an exact recreation of the character from the comics but like... he doesn't have to be, and if I saw a version of Bruce drawn like him I wouldn't think twice about it because his appearance still matches the most classical takes on the character anyway.

Hell, even Corenswet I don't think looks /exactly/ like comic Superman either. If you're looking to 1:1 recreations, Corenswet doesn't look like John Byrne's version, doesn't look like Alex Ross's, Tim Sale's, Frank Quitely's, Dan Mora's, Jim Lee's or Gary Frank's, he just has the traditional archetypical features that one associates with Superman, and I feel Pace is in a similar boat with Batman.

I just think that trying to go for people that are clones of comic versions or whatever is about the most hollow approach one could go when casting.

 

[ArmsHeldOut]

Ben does look great in BVS, that glorious hair piece is doing a lot of the heavy lifting and it bothers me a shocking amount he doesn't have it in JL, but there's something really generic and uninteresting about the traditional square jawed hero look that the characters are drawn as in the comics that Ben falls a little too closely into - I have the same thing with Superman casting: that sort of look just isn't very interesting to me on screen. You have guys like Bale or Pattinson who are close to it but just have way more character in their faces than someone like Ben does.

Pace is tall, dark, handsome, aristocratic and extremely imposing. I prefer live action Bruce's aim more for that Byronic, wolfish quality than your more traditional leading man look because to me that captures the spirit of the character better than aiming for a right off the page resemblence. Another big factor to me is that, apart from maybe the voice Pattinson uses, even Pace's natural speaking voice would be by far my favourite live action Batman voice.

This is really well put, Sword. I don't in any way dislike the more generic look that Ben has in BvS, mind you (don't care for Cullen's look, though lol), but you perfectly spelled out why Pace is such a fitting, not to mention exciting choice for this role.

 

[TMP98]

After tonight’s Succession, Alex Skarsgaard’s sky-rocketed to my top choice for Gunn’s Batman

 

[BobJM]

I think Skarsgaard could be a better Slade Wilson / Deathstroke.

Pace would be great as Batman, sure, but I still like Richard Madden as Batman—closer in age to our rumored Superman, Lex, and Lois.

 

[Invader Joker]

The problem with Madden is he'd look tiny next to Corenswet and he can't do an american accent to save his life.

Also I personally don't think he's an interesting performer.

 

[ArmsHeldOut]

I never like to crap on anyone's cornflakes as far as suggestions go, but Madden gets a resounding no from me.

 

[LifesEnd]

Hell no to madden tbh. At least not for a big character.

Skarsgard would be a fun choice even if hes like 50.

 

[The Lazarus Pit]

If we’re going for someone who people consider a “boring” choice than they need to just pick Taylor Kitsch.

Yes I know Hollywood tried to make him a thing, and yes I know he didn’t have charisma in a lot of the big roles he was cast in. BUT, if you haven’t seen him in True Detective s2, change that immediately.

I always thought of him as a boring performer, kind of like an Armie Hammer type. But the guy is genuinely talented, has the brooding DOWN, and has the look/age. He would be a great pick if people can get over his reputation as “that guy that Hollywood tried to make a thing”.

The dude is a surprisingly strong actor and deserves another shot at a big role.

I really see it.

 

[old city outlaw]

If we’re going for someone who people consider a “boring” choice than they need to just pick Taylor Kitsch.

Yes I know Hollywood tried to make him a thing, and yes I know he didn’t have charisma in a lot of the big roles he was cast in. BUT, if you haven’t seen him in True Detective s2, change that immediately.

I always thought of him as a boring performer, kind of like an Armie Hammer type. But the guy is genuinely talented, has the brooding DOWN, and has the look/age. He would be a great pick if people can get over his reputation as “that guy that Hollywood tried to make a thing”.

The dude is a surprisingly strong actor and deserves another shot at a big role.

I really see it.

I don't know if Kitsch is the right choice for the role but if anyone doubts his talent as an actor they should check out the 2018 Waco TV mini series.

That show had an insane cast (Michael Shannon, Andrea Riseborough, Shea Whigham, John Leguizamo, Glenn Fleshler) and Kitsch was probably the best performance of the group.

 

[The Lazarus Pit]

Tbh he was a great Gambit too, much better than Tatum would have been IMO.

I’d love Kitsch in the role but it’s unlikely he’d be considered. He just doesn’t have much momentum behind his career at this point.

This is a unique casting opportunity though because the Star would have to likely be locked down for at the very least 3 films but probably far more. I want to see Batman pop up wherever it makes sense. He should be a regular presence, and it shouldn’t be hindered by an actor’s schedule. They need to lock the guy down so that will limit the pool of actors for sure.

Lol after everything that has come out about him, they could probably easily lock down Armie Hammer for like a 20 film contract for dirt cheap

 

[TMP98]

Hell no to madden tbh. At least not for a big character.

Skarsgard would be a fun choice even if hes like 50.

skarsgard's only 2 years older than pace and 4 older than gyllenhaal

 

[Invader Joker]

Lol after everything that has come out about him, they could probably easily lock down Armie Hammer for like a 20 film contract for dirt cheap

There are about a thousand reasons they'd never do this.

 

[SwordOfMorning]

The idea of a Batman showing up constantly or even with the regularity of RDJ as Iron Man sounds ****ing exhausting to me, not gonna lie. I really miss these characters feeling special when they do show up - those days have passed but it should feel more like James Bond than anything else, IMO. A big deal you only get every few years.

 

[The Lazarus Pit]

There are about a thousand reasons they'd never do this.

Obviously.

and yes the threat of Batman burnout is a real thing, but if you’re doing a cinematic universe you need frequent appearances from Batman. He and Superman have always been and should always be at the center of the DC Universe. Each actor should be locked for like 8 pictures. (Solo trilogy, Justice League trilogy, two supporting roles in other heroes films)

 

[SwordOfMorning]

Yeah, I just don’t think the kind of actor you really want in these roles is gonna sign an eight picture deal. I’ll always take someone of Pattinson’s stature for three over like a Taylor Kitsch for eight.

I do like Taylor though. His role in TD season 2 is adorably stupidly written and he has the issue everyone who isn’t Colin Farrell has in that season where he can’t sell the dialogue but he has some really genuine moments.

 

[Invader Joker]

 

[Invader Joker]

 

[Erik Lensherr]

He gives me Val Kilmer vibes