Do you think the new Batman actor will get "Lazenby'd"?

[Bruce Malone]

Now as most of you should know George Lazenby was the actor who took over for Connery when he left Bond the first time and at the time the public did not take well to him and he was eventually replaced. Finally Roger Moore came in to prove that Bond could continue successfully with another actor.

A lot of comparisons have been brought up recently with Brandon Routh whereby coming in and taking over for Reeve (after many years though) and having a likewise muted response from the public and eventually being replaced by Cavill who looks like he will have a successful run in the role.

Do you think the Batman franchise is going to have to go through it's own Lazenby period where an actor is sort of "sacrificed" and fails only for the more successful actor to come in afterwards? I'd say coming in to replace Bale as Batman could in the publics eyes be as difficult as taking over for Connery or Reeve. What do you think? I wonder if this could be a hindrance for certain higher profile actors wanting the role?

 

[shauner111]

Hmmm. I actually see it as Kilmer who was the Lazenby. He did the 1 film and didn't get along with Shumacher (as they say, as others say it was just about his scheduling). Same exit for Lazenby.

I wont say Clooney was the Moore. I don't think that was the case. But I do think that both Connery AND Moore were running the franchise into the ground as they got older and the movies were getting cornier with each installment. Brosnan suffered the same fate. So that makes me think of Clooney coming into the universe and the Bat franchise getting cornier.

Daniel Craig was like the Christian Bale.

I think they'll take their time in casting Bruce in the reboot and he'll stay for a few films before being recast. Im sure he'll do the Justice League's with Cavill and 1 or 2 solo films but by the time Robin enters the franchise they'll replace him. I don't think we'll get another Lazenby moment. To me, Kilmer replacing Keaton was like Connery being replaced.

 

[Bruce Malone]

I wouldn't say Kilmer was the lazenby of batman just due to the fact that his film was actually more successful than the last Keaton batman film, at least Box Office wise. Not that many people remember this any more but Forever was actually seen as the film to bring back Batman at the time.

Clooney maybe but by then he only had to replace Kilmer. I'd put Bale in the category of Connery and Reeve just due to the fact they defined a franchise character through multiple successful films. I think a Batman introduced in a Jl or WF without his own film first will face a similar backlash from the public.

 

[Ethermatic]

While it wouldn't surprise me since I have very little faith in Warner Bros., I do think they'll be looking to get someone that they know they'll want to keep for a good amount of time, much like Cavill. Plus, it would have to be a monumental fail of a Batman film for them to consider ditching the actor after signing him for multiple films. Plus, it might be easier for the new actor to get a pass because his Batman film will (probably) be part of the same world that Man of Steel exists in.

Lazenby was a special case in that his Bond film, while based on the novel with the same name, was a bit different from the film formula. Plus, he was actually given bad advice by his people that the Bond films were not going to last and that he shouldn't continue in the role.

I'm sure I'm going to get some backlash for this but I don't think the next actor will have to do that much to equal or surpass Bale in the role. The character must be bigger than the actor. I know people say Bale is their Batman, but I never thought he was great. I don't think he was bad, either. I just thought he was passable. Aside from my issues with his voice as Batman, I just don't think he was ever given that much to do as Bruce Wayne after Batman Begins.

 

[FelixLeiter]

To be clear Lazenby "Lazenbyied" himself. If he hadn't become a hippie he'd have stuck around.

 

[Rockbottom]

As much as I love Nolan's Dark Knight films and Bales take on it, I think he can be replaced. Conroy is actually the only Batman that I consider to near irreplaceable in that every time I see an animated Batman that isn't voiced by him its actually jarring.

The next actor should be fine as long as both him and the film are good and not trying to be a Nolan imitation.

 

[DACrowe]

It could also be called Brandon Routh'd now. Ha.

It is possible. But I think at worse it will be more Andrew Garfield. The GA will be apathetic or uninterested for at least one film, but the fans will be euphoric because it is new, different and shiny. I will be interested to see how Garfield's second outing goes now that Maguire is more safely in the past, though TASM was not well received by the GA.

The next actor will only be one-and-done if the movie really sucks. And on that count, time will tell.

 

[The Guard]

I think if he's good (and his Batman doesn't sound ridiculous), Christian Bale will not exactly be forgotten, but he's also not going to be held up as the gold standard anymore.

 

[shauner111]

I think Conroy is irreplaceable in the world of voice acting. I can't really take any animated Batman seriously unless it's Conroy.

But I believe Batman in live-action (not talking about Bruce Wayne) will never be "irreplaceable". He can always be replaced under the cowl. But Bruce Wayne is going to be hard to top Bale. Keaton was great and I grew up with his Bruce before anybody else but he never looked like the character to me and had a quirkiness about him even in private as Bruce. Which was awesome but replaceable. And now I cant think of a Bruce Wayne that will top Christian Bale. I think he's the gold standard. Even if they find an actor who looks more like the character I don't think you can find a better Oscar winner like Bale or somebody who's that intense like he is, where he'll do WHATEVER it takes to become that role. Christian's dedication to his physique whether it be weight gain or loss, his dynamics in playing the 3 different people under 1 character AND his appeal in the business for the mainstream and other actors to feel glued to.

I feel it's almost impossible to top Bale's Bruce Wayne. Like I said though with Batman it's different. If they can hit it out of the park with the new casting then ill applaud the HELL out of Warner Brothers and the director who made the choice.

 

[Lando81]

Why. Why is this even a topic. It's SO F###ING far away from the next film.

 

[Bathead]

Why. Why is this even a topic. It's SO F###ING far away from the next film.

Maybe because this is the Future Batman movies forum? (key word here being 'future", look it up in the dictionary)

 

[Lord]

No Batman actor was really a Lazenby since that would imply that besides Batman they didn't do any other major movie, George Clooney was believed to be the George Lazenby of the Batman series when the film was released, but he actually ended up to have a very prosperous career and become a major name. Seems like Mick LaSalle's prediction was very wrong.

We have yet to see a true Lazenby Batman, and i actually hope it will never happen.

 

[Bruce Malone]

I'd say no batman actor has been through a Lazenby situation yet due to the fact that the longest tenure before bale for any one actor was two films. The Bale-connery-reeve scenario made sense to me due to the fact they all became very associated with that character over multiple films over an extended period of near a decade.

Now obviously with Affleck cast and not being an unknown this changes things but if the public backlash against him continues even after the film is out, then he may indeed end up being a one hit wonder as batman?

 

[Lord]

That wouldn't change his other hits in other films though, i think the only way we will get a Lazenby/ Routh situation would be if after Afleck we got an unknown who after Batman remained unknown

 

[Morbius]

I for one don't think Ben Affleck will be Lazenby'd. He'll be Afflecked.

 

[Llama_Shepherd]

I hope that's not a terrible Afflecktion.