Probably the biggest story in movies today was the announcement at Comic-Con recently that Batman and Superman were both going to be in Man of Steel 2. What there relationship is going to be isn’t entirely clear. Will they be enemies? Will they be friends? Will they start off as enemies and then become friends? Will beat the crap out of each other only to realize that they should be friends?
Eventually, Warner Bros. is going to answer all of our questions. In the interest of keeping these type of questions going, afterall, what better way to create hype than to say something without really saying anything at all? We are left to do the speculating for them.
There has been some talk that for the role of Batman in this new film, they want to cast it a bit older. No, Clint Eastwood’s name isn’t on the call sheet, but with his ties to Warner Bros. it wouldn’t 100% be out of the realm of possibility. It seems that the studio is looking for an aged actor. One that can handle all the darkness and baggage that the Dark Knight carries around with him.
We have come up with 7 actors who we feel fit the bill and could add just the right amount of gravitas that this role and project need.
[1]Bryan Cranston
Those who scoff at this choice are probably the same people who skipped Breaking Bad because they couldn’t imagine Cranston’s Walter White becoming a drug lord.
Boy, did you miss out!
Cranston has shown us every possible range of emotion as the main character on this TV show. Off this role alone he has proven that he is one of the top 5 best actors in the world. This totally ignores his work in Malcolm in the Middle or a little show called Seinfeld. Imagine what he would bring to the role of an aging superhero? The complexity and layers he would give to Bruce Wayne? Think for a moment how truly primal his fight scenes would be?
The more you think about it the more you see that he might be the only choice for this role.
[2]Louis C.K.
Okay, so he’s a comedian, you can stop laughing. Folks had the same reaction back in 1989 when a guy named Michael Keaton was handed this coveted role. Keaton was even called a “clown.” Look how that turned out…
One only needs to watch a few episodes of Louie to see that Louis C.K. could handle playing this part. He has a fairly broad range and it is quite possible he could tap into Batman’s heretofore unseen dimensions. Imagine how he might deal with Superman being the “Man of the Steel”? Forget all the comic asides that are bound to follow as Superman throws his Man of Steelness around, I imagine that Louis C.K. would truly try to find a way to solve whatever problems they come across. Batman is a mortal human being afterall.
And as far as Louis C.K. maybe not having a superhero physique, he is big guy with a lot of presence who, with a few months in the gym, could more than fit into the bat suit.
[3]Mickey Rourke
So he already played a bad guy in Iron Man 2, so what! If nothing else that makes this actor more credible for a role like this. Mickey Rourke is one of those rare actors that can handle the intensity of such roles like that of Charlie in The Pope of Greenwich Village, then at the same time make us laugh and touch our hearts as Boogie in Diner.
Now, over the years (and I maintain that this is because doing Barfly and Angel Heart back to back basically drove the poor guy crazy) Rourkehas become something of a caricature. Those days appear to be behind him and as he showed as the character of Marv in Sin City, he might just be the darkest actor on the planet.
Physically, he seems to almost resemble the Dark Knight of the Frank Miller comics. Casting him in this role opposite Henry Cavill’s Superman would add a sense of danger. We would truly be dealing with a version of Batman that we have never seen before. One that can become unhinged at the drop of a hat and unleash a fury like none we have ever witnessed.
[4]Johnny Depp
No matter what you may think of Johnny Depp’s last few films, or his admission that he reprised his role as Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides because of the money Disney offered him, this actor is probably(aside from Sean Penn), the closest thing we have to Marlon Brando. Johnny Depp, when he cares, has a way of elevating material.
There’s a reason why the first Pirates movie was the best one. First off, he took everybody’s idea of what a pirate could be and totally knocked it on its ass. Contractually obligated to two more films, it is fairly obvious that by Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, he was a bit bored with this character.
There are subtleties and nuances to the character of Bruce Wayne that are right in Depp’s wheelhouse. The tortured soul, the questioning of his calling, the questioning of himself, these are all things that are Depp’s stock-in-trade. Imagine how he might combat the Joker, Lex Luthor or even Superman?
It used to be that our superheroes had to be perfect’; flawless even. In Depp’s Batman, we would be dealing with a version of this character that revels in his shortcomings and is all the better because of them.
[5]Viggo Mortensen
Could Viggo physically handle the action sequences in Man of Steel 2? Yes.
Could he handle the character complexities inherent in a character like Bruce Wayne? Check that box as well.
Does he bring a gravitas to a role of this magnitude? Hell yes.
Whether he’s playing a tortured sibling, a father defending his family, or a king returning to his throne, Viggo Mortensen is there all day everyday. This is an actor that radiates complexity simply by giving a look. There is a strength when he comes on the screen that is noticeable and necessary.
All of these attributes would serve him well as the Dark Knight. Having taken on legendary status due to his role in The Lord of the Rings franchise, the casting of Mortensen would both enliven this franchise and add a large does of sorely needed unpredictability.
[6]Guy Pearce
This would be a completely karmic casting decision that is steeply based in kismet.
Okay, what the heck does that mean???
Guy Pearce was cast in Memento so he is already tight with Christopher Nolan. Nolan, who broke new ground and is revered for his Batman movies (among others), is also an executive producer on Man of Steel 2. Pearce is from Australia which just happens to be the birthplace of the late Heath Ledger who redefined the Joker in The Dark Knight (directed by Nolan). Capping off all of these connections with a nice bow, Pearce was in the groundbreaking The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert with Terence Stamp who, some years before that, played General Zod in Superman II. Stamp also voiced Jor-El in the Smallville TV series.
So how would this lend weight to Guy Pearce playing Batman in Man of Steel 2?
It would, if nothing else, be continuing a righteous tradition of bringing solid, dedicated, and interesting actors to roles in what are essentially viewed as popcorn movies. Pearce would bring both danger, strength, and complexity to a character that is all but screaming to be heard in this way.
[7]Vincent D’Onofrio
How many actors can say they worked with Oliver Stone (JFK), Tim Burton (Ed Wood), and Stanley Kubrick (Full Metal Jacket)?
So we know that Vincent D’Onofrio obviously has the chops to handle Batman on the cerebral level. What about the action?
Like I mentioned above with Louis C.K., if you put this guy in a gym for a few months there’s no telling what he would come out looking like. Aside from present company, I can hardly think of an actor that could embody this role and bring along the necessary qualities of being Superman’s nemesis. Like Mickey Rourke, there would be a lot of unpredictability to what D’Onofrio’s Batman might do. Even if the superheroes do get chummy, one would always get the sense that his Batman would have no problem breaking a truce if it suited his ends.
In the all too stale world of Hollywood movies, it seems the town is taking a cue from cable TV and trying to make things truly surprising again. Casting a complex Dark Knight that excites fans and non-fans alike, would be a step in the right direction.
So what do you think? Who do you want to see play the caped crusader in Man of Steel 2? Are we right on with our picks? Or, did we miss the boat completely?
