It emerged this week that actor Josh Brolin had wanted to play the role of Batman in, but the position instead went to Ben Affleck.
The 54-year-old Dune actor was eventually turned down by Zack Snyder, who decided to go with Affleck as his Batman in 2016’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Affleck then reprised the role the following year in Justice League.
Brolin was speaking on the Happy Sad Confused podcast this week when he explained that he had been a finalist alongside Affleck for Dawn of Justice.
Josh Brolin said playing Batman would have been ‘fun’
Brolin sounded disappointed when he admitted Snyder opted for Affleck. He stressed: “That was his [Snyder’s] decision, that wasn’t my decision. That was his decision.”
He added wistfully: “That would have been a fun deal.”
Brolin also stated that his Batman would have been older and “more raspy” than Affleck’s version.
Why did Snyder choose Affleck? If Brolin knew why, he wasn’t admitting it. It’s not clear exactly why Affleck was chosen. Screen Crush has speculated that the age of the actors may have played a part. Affleck is only five years younger than Brolin, but he does look a lot more youthful.
Snyder had wanted an older Batman than usual, but perhaps Brolin’s features were a bit too old for Snyder. With all due respect to Mr. Brolin, of course.
Brolin also indicated that he would be willing to play an older version of Gotham City’s crimefighter, telling the podcast, “maybe I’ll do it when I’m 80.”
Batman role constantly changing and evolving
Recently the much younger Robert Pattison was cast in the 2022 movie, The Batman.
However, 70-year-old Michael Keaton is all set to reprise his version of the Black Knight from Tim Burton’s Batman movies from 30 years ago. Keaton will be appearing in Batgirl alongside Leslie Grace, and he’ll also be in The Flash with Ezra Miller.
As well as a starring role in Dune, Brolin also found himself playing Thanos in 2018’s Avengers: Infinity War and again in 2019’s Avengers: Endgame. He also starred as Cable in Deadpool 2, so he’s no stranger to a superhero role.
Meanwhile, these days, Ben Affleck is most likely to be in the headlines because of his private life. Earlier this month, Affleck and Jennifer Lopez ended months of speculation when they announced they are to be married for a second time.