How many Batmen is too many? Audiences have always been used to having one actor under the famous cape and cowl at any given time, but if the recent speculation surrounding the future of Warner Bros. and DC’s comic book output is to be believed, we could end up with more Caped Crusaders than we know what to do with.
Not only do we have Robert Pattinson suiting up to play the Dark Knight in Matt Reeves’ The Batman and Iain Glen’s recurring role as Bruce Wayne in Titans, but there’s also been reports about the long-awaited live action adaptation of Batman Beyond. Not to mention Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s brief cameo as Thomas Wayne in Batman V Superman possibly leading to the Flashpoint version of the character appearing in the Scarlet Speedster’s solo movie.
If that still isn’t enough Bat for your buck though, Todd Phillips’ Joker has opened up the doors to an entire series of movies set in his rundown Gotham City, with the director admitting he’d love to see Batman appear in his world. Joker’s success looks set to spawn a universe that exists outside of the DCEU’s established continuity, too, with Joaquin Phoenix’s Arthur Fleck as the focal point. Which means that it’s only a matter of time before the World’s Greatest Detective joins the party.
We’ve previously reported that James Marsden, Ryan Gosling and Bradley Cooper were on Phillips’ shortlist to play the Jokerverse’s Batman, and we’ve now heard from our sources – the same ones who told us Ahsoka Tano will be in The Mandalorian season 2, a Justice League Dark show is coming to HBO Max and Extraction is getting a sequel, all of which were correct – that Breaking Bad star Aaron Paul is also a contender for the role.
While he seems like the longest of long-shots to be cast as Batman and a rank outsider, especially with A-list stars like Gosling and Cooper also under consideration, Phillips has already subverted the expectations that come with a comic book movie set in Gotham City in Joker. And if the Jokerverse moves full-steam ahead, then playing it safe isn’t exactly going to be one of his main concerns.
