5 Actors Who Can Play The Next Batman

  For the past 25 years now, 4 different actors have portrayed the brooding billionaire Bruce Wayne in 7 different Movies. Some of them, such as Michael Keaton and especially American Psycho star Christian Bale, have done a great job bringing the masked crusader to the big screen. However, the other actors -George Clooney and Val Kilmer- were unable to do such an exemplar job with the task. After wrapping up The Dark Knight Rises last year, Christian Bale put up his cape and utility belt after three motion pictures, and according to him, it would stay that way. However, at Comic-Con this year, Zack Snyder, the director of Man of Steel and the upcoming sequel, dropped a bombshell about the plot of the next Superman movie. He implied with the help of actor Harry Lennix and an amazing visual, that the next Man of Steel will revolve around Superman fighting BATMAN! Of course, the inner nerd in me squealed with delight. Even though the first Man of Steel didn't met my expectations, this news excited me. Then quickly horrified me. First of all, it feels like DC is rushing into this idea. The biggest complaint about Man of Steel was that it was too dark. Now that they got rid of Zod and Clark finally joined the Daily Planet, Superman can begin to retreat into more familiar and friendly territory like in Donner's adaptation. By adding the Dark Knight, the movie promises to continue being dark and depressing. Secondly, The Dark Knight Rises ended implying that Batman (Christian Bale) was retiring and passing the torch to Blake (Joseph Gordon-Levitt). This means that Bale would not be reprising his role as Batman, and Levitt may take his place. However, the Man of Steel movie appeared to not be in the same cinematic universe as the Dark Knight Trilogy, meaning they can cast anyone they want and almost start from scratch. Since this announcement, names have been thrown around about who should play the new bamtan in Man of Steel 2. Keeping in mind that the actor would not only have to be in the Superman sequel, but will also likely be in the Justice League movie(s?), I compiled a 5-Actor list of who should put on the rubber suit and fight crime.

- Michael Fassbender (35): 

Yes, I know, he is magneto. But if Ryan Reynolds can be both Deadpool and Green Lantern, and a horrible one on both accounts, I think we can let this one slide. Michael Fassbender can perfectly embody the character of Bruce Wayne. He has proved time and time again to be a great actor. In X-Men: First Class, Fassbender brilliantly portrayed a powerful man whose childhood tragedy shaped who he is today and uses that tragedy as motivation instead of letting it hold him back. Sound familiar? The character of Bruce Wayne is a deep and complex character, and Michael's acting skills could more than pull it off. This is a doubtful outcome however, seeing as how he will likely be extremely busy with all the upcoming X-Men movies being released. Hopefully he can fit it in his schedule to play the good guy.

- Idris Elba (40): 

Yes, Idris Elba is a black man. It may be a little odd to have our new Batman be played by the actor who played Nelson Mandela the year before. Bruce Wayne has always been portrayed by a Caucasian, but now is a good time as any to make a change. Idris Elba is a fantastic actor. Having enjoyed watching and completing BBC's Luther and loving his incredible apocalypse-cancelling in the sci-fi action-fest Pacific Rim, Elba quickly went from being "that one guy from The Losers", to becoming one of my favorite working actors today. The thing that really made me give this man respect is the fact that he is English. I have seen a lot of movies, one could say too many movies, and whenever I see or hear an English actor faking an American accent, I can tell very quickly. Idris is the only actor that thoroughly convinced me that he was American, I still can't even believe it. Idris, at 40, may be a little too old to be playing Batman, but I have a feeling that if he played Justin Beiber in a Bio-flick, I would still be fooled.

- Joe Mangeniello (37):

I have never seen True Blood before hearing the news of the new Superman movie. After the announcement, I scoured through the internet to see who people wanted to play Batman. Everywhere I went, I kept seeing this unfamiliar name "Joe Manganiello". Everyone kept praising him for True Blood, so I decided if he was to be the new Batman then I would give it a shot. Joe can definitely give off a menacing, powerful vibe. He definitely packs enough muscle to make it believable he is out every night fighting against evil single-handedly. However, I'm still not entirely certain that he has the acting skills necessary to play such a deep, psychological character. Christian Bale, Michael Keaton, George Clooney, and even Val Kilmer were all excellent actors when they played Batman. He will defiantly have to step it up if he wants to play the masked vigilante. He has the right look, and he may hopefully prove to have the right acting chops to go along with it. Either that, or we will have another Vin Diesel on our hands.                              

- Jensen Ackles (35)

If DC is attempting to make Batman a younger, more relatable character, I think Jensen may be their best bet. Jensen Ackles proved he is a decent enough actor by his past 8 years on Supernatural. Compared to all of the other choices, Ackles is probably the one who will have the most free time on his hands. With Supernatural undoubtedly being over and done with by 2015, and with his movie career not being extremely demanding, he appears to be a good, available option. Although Jensen is not yet a household name, he has enough of a cult following to get butts in seats. 

Josh Brolin (45):

Josh Brolin would be my choice for Bruce Wayne only if DC wants Batman to be an older and more mature character. After watching his great performances in films such as MIB 3 and No Country for Old Men, it has become apparent that he has a very wide range as an actor. Like I has said before, he would be my first choice for an older, more mature Batman, he and Idris would be my top two choices. However, Brolin may just be too old for the role as Batman. And seeing as how the second Man of Steel is going to be Superman fighting Batman, it may be odd to watch 45 year old Brolin in an intense battle with high-flying 30 year old Henry Cavill.