Similar to how enduring characters such as James Bond and Superman have been recast over the decades, we naturally expect a passing of the torch when it comes to Batman after a specific actor has played the icon for several films. Beloved as Christian Bale was, it was inevitable that he hung up the cowl following completion of The Dark Knight Trilogy, before being swiftly replaced by Ben Affleck.
This notion is now once again relevant due to much speculation surrounding Affleck being on his way out after portraying the Caped Crusader for three movies, those being Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, Suicide Squad and Justice League. And though staunch fanboys are saying there’s no validity to this chatter, we find it important to remind you that whenever news originates from a major industry trade, you can probably take it to the bank.
So, while that situation continues heating up, new information has been brought to light concerning the previous time the hunt was on for a new Masked Manhunter. Believe it or not, before Affleck was given the nod, Richard Armitage (The Hobbit) was on the short list of those being considered, as he recently confirmed in a chat with Digital Spy:
“There was a little flurry once upon a time just after I’d come out of The Hobbit where I auditioned for Batman. It was at the same time that Christian Bale was leaving, there were about five or six actors that were in line for that character, so I went through quite a process with that.”
Funny enough, there are rumors going around saying that the Penguin supposedly appearing in The Batman is being modeled after Armitage, so, if true, it may not hurt for him to try his hand at playing a different character. Don’t forget, there’s an urban myth alleging that Christian Bale auditioned for the part of Robin in Batman Forever, and was said to have also been in the mix for the Superman role the first time the studio tried getting BvS off the ground in the early 2000’s, so it never hurts to be persistent.
