Rumour: Reboot may be Batman Beyond

[BatmAngelus]

^ Indeed. 

While I outlined the benefits of having a younger Batman in the film, I must admit that all the actors I like best for the role are in this older late 30s-early 40s range.

Still, keep in mind that this is mainly coming from Jett's sources, who also told him that they were rebooting Bruce Wayne through Batman Beyond, which started this thread...

[thecolorsblend]

^As much as I like that idea, I've actually been hearing that this will be an older late 30's-early 40's Batman. To me that sounds really cool.

Goddammit...

[johnnygobbs]

^ Indeed. 

While I outlined the benefits of having a younger Batman in the film, I must admit that all the actors I like best for the role are in this older late 30s-early 40s range.

Still, keep in mind that this is mainly coming from Jett's sources, who also told him that they were rebooting Bruce Wayne through Batman Beyond, which started this thread...

I'm torn too BatAngelus.  I'd prefer a younger Batman (ideally someone the same age as Cavill) but like you I can't think of many actors in the late 20s-early 30s range I'd take over more 'seasoned' actors like say Jon Hamm.

[The Laughing Fish]

IGN is reporting the rumour of the older Batman for the Man of Steel sequel.

http://uk.ign.com/articles/2013/08/02/rumor-next-movie-batman-will-be-middle-aged-veteran-superhero

My own personal choice, Caviezel, is said to be one of the frontrunners under consideration. Which is interesting, as he and Cavill have previously worked together on The Count of Monte Cristo (2002).

Off-topic, but I found this fan-edit of a fictional Aronofsky-directed Batman trailer with Caviezel starring, alongside Forest Whitaker and Bryan Cranston. If this was the sort of style that many people were saying that Aronofsky was going for, then I'm glad this cringeworthy attempt at arthouse cinema never happened.

Batman walking depressingly down the stairs...

[BatmAngelus]

Having read the supposed script for it, I feel that even Nolan's Batman would seem "comic booky" compared to the version of Bruce and Gotham that Aronofsky and Frank Miller were planning.

That said, I'm not sure if a bunch of Person of Interest and Breaking Bad clips, mixed with Batman fan film footage, is the best way to judge how Aronofsky would've directed it.

[Silver Nemesis]

I remember Snyder saying his dream project was to adapt The Dark Knight Returns once Nolan had concluded his Batman trilogy. It looks like he's using Man of Steel as a stepping stone towards that goal. Unless of course these rumours turn out to be false, which is probably what will happen.

But if this really is the direction they're going in, there are a few points I think we should keep in mind.

Firstly, I agree with colors that Superman should be the first hero to appear in the shared cinematic universe. And on the surface, casting an older actor as Batman would contradict that by suggesting the Dark Knight has been around for longer than Superman has. But that might not necessarily be the case.

Frank Miller has always been a proponent of the idea that Superman doesn't physically age beyond his early thirties. And since they appear to be using Miller's writing as a starting point, it's perfectly feasible that the Superman in this film will also be in his forties. The new film might take place ten or twenty years after the events of Man of Steel and yet Superman would appear unchanged by the passing of time.

We should also remember that the Superman in Man of Steel is already meant to be older than Henry Cavill. Cavill was only 29 when he shot the movie, but the character was meant to be 33. If we assume three years have passed between the first and second film, then the character will be 36 in the new movie. Now supposing they went with Jim Caviezel as Batman. He's currently 44 but would be 45 when they start filming next year. If they dyed his hair jet black he could easily pass for a guy in his late thirties, which would mean a potential age difference of less than five years between Batman and Superman. Alternatively they could dye his hair completely grey and make him up to look older so he could pass for a Batman in his early fifties. The film could start with Superman aged 36 and Batman aged 38, then in the second half of the film we could see Batman aged 50 and Superman still looking like he's 33. That would be an interesting way of emphasising Batman's human frailty as a counterpoint to Superman's state of ageless grace. It would also suit the demands of a Dark Knight Returns-type scenario.

Even if they do have a 10-15 year age gape between the two characters, the disparity would still be smaller than that between the actors in The Avengers. They've got Jeremy Renner (42), Mark Ruffalo (45), Robert Downey Jr. (48) and Samuel L. Jackson (64) at one end, and at the other end they've got Chris Evans (32), Chris Hemsworth (29) and Scarlet Johansson (28). A 10-15 year age gap between Batman and Superman doesn't seem so bad by comparison.

It's also worth remembering that the physical age difference between Superman and Batman is something writers have explored several times in the comics. The most obvious example – and the one Snyder is clearly drawing inspiration from – would be The Dark Knight Returns, where you've got a 55 year old Batman taking on a Superman who still looks like he's in his early thirties. Mark Millar inverted this in Superman: Red Son by having a middle-aged Superman in his fifties face off against a young Batman in his mid thirties. And then there's Kingdom Come, in which both characters appear to have aged and yet Bruce looks like he's got a good fifteen years on Clark.

People have certain expectations of Batman. They want him to be tough, manly and grizzled. They want Batman, not Batboy. One of the reasons I think Keaton looked best in the cowl was because he had an older face which made him look more rugged. Compare this...

...to this:

I can only speak for myself, but I prefer the more rugged, manly looking Batman over the fresh-faced pretty boy version. And it's hard to find an actor below the age of 35 who has that tough look about them. Now if they do end up going with a younger actor, then that's fine. It's the more obvious approach to take. But if these rumours are accurate, and they really are going with an older Batman, then I think we should be prepared to give that a chance too. It could turn out better this way.

Anyway, I'll stop rambling now. I just wanted to throw a few thoughts out there on the subject.