The slate of upcoming DCU movies and TV shows took a surprising turn in the wake of HBO’s wak-ing excellent The Penguin arriving to follow the story threads started in Matt Reeves’ The Batman. It appears James Gunn & Co. are interested in giving more villains their time in the spotlight, as Bane is reportedly getting a team-up movie with fellow fan-favorite rogue Deathstroke. It’ll be the third live-action iteration of the hulking character overall, and I’ve got casting ideas.
The most iconic Bane portrayal thus far of any medium obviously comes from The Dark Knight Rises, with Tom Hardy gifting fans with a solid performance on top of his infamous voice. On the non-animated front, Hardy’s villain was followed by Shane West’s arc as Eduardo “Bane” Durrance in Gotham’s final season. But who will step up to take on the role in the still-developing new movie?
Dave Bautista
A name that has long been at the top of fan-casting lists for Bane, Dave Bautista was just as into the idea of playing the villain as fans were. But no other applicable projects were happening for him to take advantage, and Bautista has since changed his tune about it, now considering himself to be too old to take on what could amount to a multi-film commitment.
But if it’s just a one-time outing, I don’t think Bautista could ever really age out of being a top-tier option. (Assuming his issue is with fan perception and not his own physical health.) Not only is he used to both stuntwork and dramatic acting, but he’s got a tight relationship with James Gunn from Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy movies. No wrong moves here.
Laz Alonso
Considering Bane’s origin story stems from the Caribbean islands, if not legitimate ones, it would be awesome for the DCU movie to have that in mind when doing the casting. Which is part of why I think The Boys’ Laz Alonso, whose parents are Cuban immigrants, could serve up quite a solid and intimidating Bane performance.
Another big part of that thinking, of course, is that he’s already such a badass as The Boys protagonist Mothers Milk, and I always enjoy seeing actors take on characters at the opposite ends of the moral spectrum. I doubt he’d have to worry about any Batman villains attacking him with a prosthetic penis, in any case.
Édgar Ramírez
A Venezuelan actor who fluently speaks five different languages, Édgar Ramírez has proven himself to be an excellent addition to any cast or project, and more often than not has opted for above-average productions. (The less remembered about 2015’s Point Break, the better.)
While he hasn’t yet factored into any superhero projects, he’s familiar with blockbuster-scale efforts (Bright, Jungle Cruise), villainous roles (The Bourne Ultimatum, Wrath of the Titans) and genuine drama (Hands of Stone, Carlos). So I’m sure it wouldn’t be outside of his range to punch Nightwing in the face, for instance.
Aldis Hodge
With a career that started on Sesame Street, actor Aldis Hodge already knows his way around both live-action and animated DC projects. He starred as Hawkman alongside Dwayne Johnson in Black Adam and voiced John Stewart’s Green Lantern in two different animated DCEU movies. So it might be the…bane…of his existence for someone to come knocking to ask him to play yet another DC role.
However, one’s talent shouldn’t be overlooked for a new role just because that person was also good enough to land semi-related parts in the past as well. Plus, his father Aldis Basil Hodge and that side of the family hail from St.Thomas in the Virgin Islands, so there are ties to that side of Bane’s life.
Brian Cage
Sometimes it's not necessarily about having the most seasoned dramatic actor in a role, but about having the most physically intimidating specimen imaginable. Which is where professional wrestler Brian Cage enters the arena and subsequently smashes everything to smithereens.
Currently signed to AEW, Cage is a hulking behemoth no matter what he's wearing at any given moment. But while there are many wrestlers that could fit the Batman villain bill just based on size alone, Cage has actually wrestled in the ring multiple times dressed as Bane (once against a Jason Voorhees), and it's applicably perfect, even if he didn't break any of his opponents' backs.
Bad Bunny
If the casting call is seeking out "Caribbean performer who is young, internationally beloved, and previously signed on to be part of a superhero project that isn't happening anymore," then there's no better choice than Bad Bunny. And I know that's not what the casting call would say, but this suggestion is still relevant.
The Puerto Rican musician has sold millions of records, co-starred in Bullet Train, and even put his body on the line for WWE's 2022 Royal Rumble and 2023 Backlash ahead of what was supposed to be his Spidey-verse debut in El Muerto, before that project was yanked from the 2024 film schedule. So if he's already prone to getting jacked, he might as well do it to play Bane, right?
Michael Irby
To be sure, MIchael Irby is the kind of actor who isn’t necessarily always known for playing outsized threats who strike fear in those who stand before him. (Certainly not on Lopez vs. Lopez.) Even as Barry’s former mob boss Cristobal, he’s more calm and professional than frightening.
But his work across five seasons of Mayans M.C. made me want to see him taking on more roles in that (bulging bicep) vein where he gets to show off just how scary he can be when angry. Even if Bane’s mask would cover up the actor’s stellar mustache, his eyes would be more than enough to drive home how much he’d like to bend Batman over his knee. And bonus points if the DCU version of Bane loves motorcycles.
James Adomian
For those unaware, stand-up comedian and voice-acting extraordinaire James Adomian is the genius who legitimately turned Bane into one of TV's funniest animated characters via Max's Harley Quinn and its A+ spinoff Kite-Man: Hell Yeah! Even though the voice is basically just a fun parody of Tom Hardy's TDKR portrayal, it's still a perfect fit.
Do I think that Adomian is the perfect actor to play the role from a physical standpoint? Probably not, though I think a costume could sell that easily enough. But even if nobody wanted the comic to take handle the on-camera role, he could still provide the character's voice with someone else (like Brian Cage) serving as the hulking villain's body. Whic his howTwisted Metal handled Sweet Tooth's performance, splitting it between the on-set Samoa Joe and the in-the-vocal-booth Will Arnett.
Even if none of these castings end up happening, I'm still very hopeful that James Gunn and Peter Safran are set to deliver the goods when the DCU officially kicks off with Gunn's Superman, the animated Creature Commandos and other Chapter 1 projects.
