The hunt for the Batman has begun.
A new story in The Hollywood Reporter features a list of six actors that are supposedly the names already getting early consideration for the role of Bruce Wayne in Zack Snyder’s “Man of Steel” sequel that will find Batman and Superman facing off. The short list includes names like Ryan Gosling and Josh Brolin, but comes with two caveats. Apparently, the script by David S. Goyer is not yet finished, and Snyder has only just started looking for actors.
But with such a wide variety of actors on the list, some clearly have better odds than others to eventually suit up as the new Batman, so we broke down the names to give you a better idea of how likely it is that we’ll see them as the new Dark Knight come summer 2015.
Josh Brolin
The Hollywood Reporter cited two sources that claim that the “Gangster Squad” lead actor is currently the frontrunner for the role of Bruce Wanye in the “Man of Steel” sequel. Since his big comeback role in “No Country for Old Men,” Brolin has had a difficult time establishing himself as a leading man — “Jonah Hex” and “Gangsters Squad,” both from Warner Bros, failed to finds audiences — so the studio would have to trust in the power of the character and look past the actor’s box office record. But Brolin throws himself hard at every role, so there’s no doubt that his Batman would be a fierce one. Odds: 3 to 1
Ryan Gosling
One of these things is not like the others, and it’s current internet obsession Ryan Gosling. With sources telling The Hollywood Reporter that Warner Bros is looking for an older, grizzled Batman, the fresh-face, 32 year-old sticks out like a sore, but extremely handsome thumb. His name on the short list strikes us as WB simply throwing him in there, thinking “What the hell!” If Gosling accepts the role, Warner Bros execs can go shopping for bigger vaults to keep all their money in. If he turns them down, hey, at least they tried. Don’t forget that Gosling has publicly expressed interest in stepping away from the public eye for a while, and joining “Man of Steel 2” would be one giant step back into the bat-shaped spotlight. Odds: 100 to 1
Joe Manganiello
As he told MTV News in a recent interview, one-time Superman hopeful Joe Manganiello still wants in on the superhero game. “I want to do it right. I want to do something that’s a real deconstruction of the genre,” he said. “There are so many superhero projects out there that it’s almost like they’re becoming normal.” Manganiello has yet to be tested as a leading man in a movie anywhere near the scale of the “Man of Steel” sequel, but he certainly has the physicality that Warner Bros seems to want. Odds: 10 to 1
Richard Armitage
Armitage has been rather busy for the past few years starring in Peter Jackson’s “Hobbit” trilogy as Thorin Oakenshield, the leader of the band of dwarves. Now that filming has officially wrapped in New Zealand, Armitage is likely looking for his next gig to build off his now higher profile, and with a formidable screen presence in “The Hobbit,” the UK native has proven himself in a big blockbuster — a Warner Bros one for that matter — so it’s not hard to imagine him trading a beard for a cape and cowl. Odds: 5 to 1
Max Martini
With a recent stint on “Revenge,” a supporting role in “Pacific Rim,” and a part in the upcoming Oscar hopeful “Captain Philips,” Martini’s star is certainly on the rise, but most the movie-going public have never heard of him. Apart from being the least recognizable on the list, Martin seems like the biggest stretch based on his appearance. Then again, who was Henry Cavill before “Man of Steel”? Odds: 50 to 1
Matthew Goode
Here’s an interesting option. At 35, Goode is the second youngest on the list, but the only one with a history of working with Snyder. (He played Ozymandais in “Watchmen.”) His recent, outrageously creepy turn in “Stoker” put him back on the critical radar and could inform an entirely different take on Bruce Wayne and the Caped Crusader. While Goode lacks the physical presence that one expects from Batman, crazier things have happened in superhero movies. Odds: 25 to 1
No Comments