With Zack Snyder’s “Man of Steel” proving to be a monster summer hit, Warner Bros. and DC announced at Comic-Con in July that there will be two iconic heroes in the “Man of Steel” sequel.
The Los Angeles Times stepped up on Thursday to take a crack at which actors would be good candidates to wear Batman’s cape. With the Times using a shotgun approach, the popularity poll was all over the place. The list contained the likes of TV stars such as Jensen Ackles and Andrew Lincoln to next generation stars Ryan Gosling and Joseph Gordon-Levitt to outliers like Simon Pegg and Daniel Dae Kim.
It appears, they cannot take this seriously?
First, the script is still in its infancy, so nothing is official yet. Second, according to sources, director Zack Snyder is only just beginning to look for actors.
A different poll was created by The Hollywood Reporter and they are fronting a list of different in-line actors.
Being mindful of what kind of Bruce Wayne/Batman Snyder is searching for, it appears the Wayne/Batman will be in his late 30s or around 40. This will not be a Batman who drags his baggage into the film and reflects on his origin, but a rugged, experienced and established crime fighter. Although Christian Bale would be ideal to reprise his role, he has stated that he won’t return for another go-around as the Caped Crusader.
It has been rumored that the relationship and fight between Superman and Batman will have its cue from writer/artist Frank Miller’s 1980s ground-breaking mini-series “The Dark Knight Returns.”
Here is a narrow list of names that surfaced to the top.
Josh Brolin, 46 — Warner Bros likes him a lot. He starred in the studio’s “Gangster Squad,” and that’s after he top lined the studio’s 2010 dud “Jonah Hex.” He’s also attached to star in Warners’ “Quasimodo” project as well as “Crazy for the Storm.” Plus, he already has a Frank Miller connection: he leads the cast of “Sin City: A Dame to Kill For,” Robert Rodriguez’s upcoming take on the Miller crime comics.
Ryan Gosling, 32 — Brolin’s “Gangster Squad” co-star appears to be in the mix. He may be younger than the rest, he may be prettier than the rest, but no one questions his acting chops.
Joe Manganiello, 36 — According to several insiders, Snyder liked him as a possible Superman for “Man of Steel” before settling on Henry Cavill, but one major stumbling block was the schedule that Alan Ball had him on for filming True Blood, the HBO vampire series in which Manganiello plays a werewolf.
Richard Armitage, 41 — The British actor appeared in TV’s Strike Back, but may be best known to audiences for playing dwarf leader Thorin Oakenshield in “The Hobbit” movie for Warners’ New Line division. He will reprise the character for the second and third installments.
Max Martini, 43 — He cut his teeth playing tough guys on TV in shows such as Revenge, Castle and Hawaii Five-O but won notice as a sacrificing father in “Pacific Rim” and will play a Navy SEAL commander in this fall’s “Captain Phillips.”
Matthew Goode, 35 — He’s already worked with Snyder in the director’s 2009 film “Watchmen,” in which he played Adrian Veidt a.k.a. Ozymandias.
Although the casting is premature, it won’t stop agencies and studio insiders from speculating. One insider scoffed and made this statement.
“You might as well put Adam West on this list.”
Nuke the Fridge’s Namtar believes that Adam West would be an excellent choice along with “Zero Dark Thirty’s” John Barrowman or any British actor.
What do you think?
Casting is likely to solidify in the coming weeks as Warner Bros wants to shoot the movie in early 2014 for a 2015 release.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter