The DC Extended Universe is always keeping audiences on their toes, thanks to shake ups both behind and on the big screen. The shared universe had a rocky start with its first few movies like Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. That movie introduced Ben Affleck as The Dark Knight, but he wasn’t the only actor considered. Now Josh Brolin has reacted to almost playing Batman for Zack Snyder in the DCEU.
While Ben Affleck brought a hulking physicality to his take on Batman, Dune’s Josh Brolin was also considered to possibly play the Caped Crusader. He no doubt would have been great, taking the same skills he used in comic projects like Avengers: Infinity War and Deadpool 2 and applying them to DC’s most beloved superhero. Brolin recently appeared on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, where he addressed missing out on the role of Bruce Wayne in the DCEU. In his words,
Yeah. That was interesting to me. That was his decision. That wasn't my decision. That was his decision. Again, because, like something that is set up to not work at all or to work flyingly. I like those odds. I like playing with those odds. I'm like 'am I the guy who's gonna make it all fail?' By the way, who I didn't think was bad, but you know, you talk to Clooney and he's still joking about it. It wasn't his fault. He loves the nipple joke and that was all Joel. But, you know, he didn't do anything wrong.
Well, there you have it. It looks like Josh Brolin would have been happy to take the risk and portray Batman on the big screen with Zack Snyder’s DCEU projects. In the end, the visionary filmmaker gave the role to Ben Affleck, and Brolin doesn’t seem to have any hard feelings. Although he did take the time to poke fun at George Clooney’s infamous performance in Batman & Robin.
Zack Snyder’s vision for Batman was an experienced and jaded crimefighter who was going to extreme measures to protect the citizens of Gotham City. Both Josh Brolin and Ben Affleck have the rugged appearance and acting chops to pull this off, and there’s no doubt in my mind that Thanos himself would have been a great Dark Knight. And while the sad Affleck meme went viral shortly after Batman v Superman was released, it seems that Josh Brolin was all too happy to swing big– even if the movie ended up being a miss.
As previously mentioned, Josh Brolin would go on to play two different major Marvel characters on the big screen, to great success. His performance in Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame was universally acclaimed, and he also killed it playing the mutant Cable in Deadpool 2. Brolin addressed his role in the superhero genre, saying:
Again, that was before Deadpool 2. It would have been the older, more raspy, for lack of a better word. Honestly, that would have been a fun deal and maybe I'll do it one day when I'm 80.
At this point it seems like anything is possible. Both Marvel and DC have been leaning into the concept of the multiverse. The upcoming Flash movie will feature both Ben Affleck and Michael Keaton as Batman, which is definitely an intriguing idea. As such, maybe Josh Brolin can play an aging Bruce Wayne sometime in the future. Perhaps in a Batman Beyond movie? Fingers crossed.
The next installment in the DCEU is Black Adam on October 21st. In the meantime, check out the 2022 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.
