We need to cut directors and casting teams some slack. It’s incredibly challenging to cast a movie based on pre-existing characters that everyone loves. What’s even more difficult is an actor’s job to breathe life into them. This is especially true when it comes to Batman and anything Batman-related. People just adore the character and his impressive Rogues Gallery. They feel an emotional connection to the material as well as the struggles and adventures of the character. Heck, some people even believe that they have elements of these characters within them. In short, it’s all a very personal experience. How can we possibly expect anyone else to bring these characters to life in a way that matches our own desires?
Still, having an understanding of the challenges of artists doesn’t stop us fans from coming up with alternative casting choices to the ones we received. Some fans across the vast abyss of the internet have even come up with beautiful graphics that depict their desired actors as the beloved characters. This list will delve into some of these fan casting choices. It will attempt to assess some of the strengths that these actors would have brought (or still could bring) to the role. Maybe someone will take notice and even bring these dreams to life. After all, Batman, as well as all of his adversaries, is an entity that will forever be remade and recast. We’ll just have to wait and see.
Without further ado, here are 21 Batman Fan Castings Better Than What We Got.
21. Jon Hamm – Batman
The artist who created this one (BossLogic) thinks that Jon Hamm would have been a great choice for The Dark Knight. Chances are, they were thinking that he would have been a strong replacement for Ben Affleck in the DCEU’s version of the character. Given how versatile of an actor Hamm is, he probably would have been a great choice. He can easily slip between comedy and serious drama, which may be what the DCEU needs.
Sure, Hamm looks like Bruce Wayne, but he also has all the necessary charm to play him. Additionally, he could easily be more serious and beef himself up to take on Gotham’s most wanted.
20. Christian Bale – The Joker
Casting Christian Bale as The Joker would be a surprising twist. Sure, it would take fans a moment or two to get past the meta-element at play here, but they’d soon love it. After all, Bale is absolutely one of the best actors of his generation. In fact, he’s a chameleon. Just compare his role as Batman in Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy to his role in The Fighter or the upcoming Vice. Seriously, the dude can play anyone. He’d be truly remarkable as The Joker.
To drive the point home, Bale has even appeared in quite a few villainous roles. He’s even played a downright psycho. Therefore, BossLogic knows what’s up!
19. Richard Armitage – Scarecrow
Most only know Richard Armitage from his role as Thorin in The Hobbit Trilogy. But clearly, The Imaginative Hobbyist, who created this Batman fan casting image, knows him as The Red Dragon from NBC’s Hannibal. It’s in that show that Armitage shows just how truly menacing he can be. In fact, he’s downright creepy. And that’s saying something since he shares the screen with Hannibal Lecter.
Armitage has all the skills necessary to play Jonathan Crane, AKA The Scarecrow. He even has the deep voice required when he wears the mask. Cillian Murphy was a tremendous Scarecrow, but perhaps Armitage would have been better for Gotham or a different Scarecrow.
18. Eiza Gonzalez – Catwoman
Eiza Gonzalez is going to be a tremendous star. Whoever signed her in the first place must be very happy that they did. She’s already slated to appear in the upcoming Alita: Battle Angel, Welcome to Marwen, and Godzilla vs. Kong. But she would have made a great Catwoman in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises. Heck, she’d easily pull off Catwoman in any film she was put in.
Gonzalez clearly has the sultry look to play the flirtatious and alluring Selina Kyle, but she also has a dangerous element to her. It almost feels like she can turn on a moment’s notice. This is something that’s essential for anyone who plays Catwoman. This awesome fan casting is also courtesy of BossLogic.
17. Jake Gyllenhaal – The Joker
Anyone who has seen Jake Gyllenhaal in Nightcrawler knows just how creepy and sociopathic of a character he can play. Not only that, but he’s going to be starring as Mysterio in the upcoming Spider-Man: Far From Home. Clearly, he has some interest in playing comic-book villains. But it really doesn’t matter, Gyllenhaal has proven that he can play practically any role.
In the opinion of many fans, replacing Jared Leto’s Joker in the DCEU would be a strong choice. Gyllenhaal would be a good replacement. After all, he is totally in the league of his Brokeback Mountain co-star, Heath Ledger.
16. Mr. Freeze – Sir Patrick Stewart
Other than Batman: The Animated Series and its corresponding movies, no one has nailed Mr. Freeze on screen. This is especially true of the incarnation in Joel Schumacher’s Batman & Robin, but it’s also true of the version of the character on Fox’s Gotham. This fan clearly believes that Sir Patrick Stewart would be a great choice for the character. And it goes far beyond his bald head and similar facial structure.
Sir Patrick Stewart is a favorite in the comic book and nerd worlds. He’s also beloved by his co-stars. However, he’s beloved not just because he’s a nice guy, as he’s also a tremendous actor capable of giving Freeze the depth that he deserves.
15. Kristen Bell – Harley Quinn
Margot Robbie is a tremendous Harley Quinn, but Kristen Bell would have added another level of psychosis to the character. In fact, the role could really be a dramatic turn for her career. Sure, everyone knows that Bell can act, but no one has seen her in a role quite like Quinn. She could have very well blown people away just like Heath Ledger did with The Joker.
This fan’s design of the character is also pretty unnerving. It makes the character far more suitable for Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy. If Nolan’s series ever ended up including Harley Quinn, Bell would have been a strong choice.
14. Willem Dafoe – The Joker
Of all the entries on this list, this one may be the favorite of fans. If you’ve seen Willem Dafoe in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man films, you’d know just how intense a character he can play. Also, that creepy smile he gives is ideal for The Joker. But all of this aside, Dafoe is one of the most capable thespians of his generations. Unfortunately, he may be a tad underrated, but a role like The Joker would remind the mainstream of just how talented he truly is.
If the DCEU recast The Joker, Dafoe would make a tremendous replacement. Additionally, he would be a bit more age appropriate for the role. After all, the Joker and Batman are usually around the same age in the comics as well as in the previous movies. Leto and Affleck, however, are not. This awesome are also comes from BossLogic.
13. Alexandra Daddario – Poison Ivy
Uma Thurman is a great actor, but even she couldn’t save the mess that was Batman & Robin. Therefore, it’s hard to say anyone would have been a better choice than her. Bad material is going to be bad material no matter who attempts to lift it up. However, Alexandra Daddario would have been a cool choice for the Poison Ivy on Gotham.
Daddario is an up-and-coming actor best known for Baywatch and True Detective. She has shown that she has good acting chops and almost definitely has the look to play the Batman villain. Just look at this fan’s design.
12. Angelina Jolie – Catwoman
There have been so many actors who have taken on the role of Catwoman. After all, the character is one of the eldest Batman villains. The character has appeared on-screen in both great live-action movies and some campy as can be. Usually, when people think about who played the best Catwoman, the first person they think of is Michelle Pfeiffer. Unfortunately, Anne Hathaway didn’t create as memorable of a Catwoman as Pfeiffer. But perhaps if Angelina Jolie was cast instead of her, the character would have lept off-screen.
Jolie has all the cat-like physical features necessary to play the character. She also has the action background thanks to the Tomb Raider franchise. Most importantly, she has grown into a superb actor. She knows how to play unhinged, and she knows how to work the heart.
11. Neil Patrick Harris – The Riddler
Jim Carrey was a good choice as The Riddler for the super-campy Batman Forever. Carrey could have played a more serious Riddler, but the material didn’t demand it. Neil Patrick Harris probably would have made similar choices if he was cast instead of Carrey. However, if Christopher Nolan went ahead with a Riddler-based story as a sequel to The Dark Knight, Harris would have been a good choice.
Harris has proven himself to be a dynamic actor. His creepiness was off-the-charts in David Fincher’s Gone Girl. But he can also play the charm and comedic cards that could be necessary even for a Nolan interpretation of the character.
10. Jeffrey Dean Morgan – Batman
Another fan-favorite to play Bruce Wayne/Batman is Watchmen and The Walking Dead star, Jeffrey Dean Morgan. The closest we came to seeing Morgan as The Caped Crusader is when he played his father in the brief scene at the beginning of Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice. It would have been so much better if he and Affleck switched places.
Sure, Affleck is fine as Batman, but Jeffrey Dean Morgan can be a little more powerful. Morgan can be simultaneously charming and intimidating. One only needs to watch him as Negan to see that. He’s also physically capable of playing the character.
9. Eliza Dushku – Catwoman
This fan casting image proves that Eliza Dushku would have made a grittier Selina Kyle/Catwoman than Anne Hathaway in The Dark Knight Rises. If there was one thing missing from Hathaway’s performance, it was the fact that the character needed to look like she lived in the underworld.
Dushku would have added that missing element to the character as well as been able to change her appearance to suit the moments where Selina needed to impress. This design also feels far more suitable to the Nolan universe than what he came up with for Hathaway. Now that it’s too late for that, perhaps, Dushku could be a good choice for the DCEU. This awesome art is also from the terrific BossLogic.
8. Emma Stone – Poison Ivy
One thing that we have yet to see Emma Stone do with her career is play a dynamic villain. She usually plays a charming, yet awkward, girl-next-door type. See her work in Easy A and Superbad for proof of that. However, she has also proven that she can add incredible nuance and heart to these vary roles. An example of this would be her Academy Award-winning performance in La La Land and in Netflix’s Maniac.
Poison Ivy would be a good match for her, especially if it was on Gotham. If that role wasn’t already cast, Stone could have guest-starred in a couple of episodes and really elevated her position as a versatile actor. Another cool from from BossLogic.
7. Eva Green – Catwoman
Eva Green would have been a terrific Catwoman in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises. The woman just looks like she plays Catwoman in her private life. Her catalog of film and television shows includes a long list of complex villains and anti-heroes. Even in weaker movies, she’s always been one of the best additions. In short, she brings her A-game every single time.
Then there’s Green’s voice. She practically purs when she speaks. But it’s not a put-on thing like what Eartha Kitt did with the character. Green’s speech pattern naturally lends itself to the character. Put a costume on her, like this fan has, and she’s ready to go.
6. Hugh Lawrie – The Joker
Sometimes the most unusual casting choices end up being the best. Nobody thought Heath Ledger was going to pull off The Joker and yet he’s gone down as one of the best ones. However, in some cases, such as the casting of Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor, they turn out less than favourably. However, some fans believe that Hugh Laurie would be in the former category.
Laurie is a formally trained actor from Oxford, England, who made it big with his titular role on House. But it’s his role in The Night Manager that truly proves that The Joker could be a character that he could knock-out of the park. Like The Joker, Laurie’s work proves that he can effortless swing back-and-forth from being charming and elegant to being a total monster.
5. Priyanka Chopra – Catwoman
When The Dark Knight Rises came out, Quantico star Priyanka Chopra wasn’t as big of a deal as she is now. Therefore, it’s unlikely that she would have been considered for the role of Catwoman. But she would have been a better choice than Anne Hathaway. Chopra would have brought all the class and elegance that Hathaway brought but would have added something different. Especially if she appeared like this fan casting design, Chopra would have brought a needed edginess to the role.
Although Nolan’s amazing Batman Universe has come and gone, Chopra would be a solid choice for Catwoman in any of the upcoming DCEU movies. Another great piece by BossLogic.
4. David Tennant – The Riddler
David Tennant would have been the ideal Riddler for any Batman film. If Nolan went ahead with his initial plans to put The Riddler into his Dark Knight sequel, Tennant would have been perfect. Sure, he isn’t as big of a star as Leonardo DiCaprio (the man who was initally supposed to play Riddler), but he would have brought more to it.
On Netflix’s Jessica Jones, David Tennant proves that he has all the skills necessary to play Edward Nygma. His version of Kilgrave adores playing with those in charge. Tennant would have played Riddler with a much needed menace, charm, and quirkiness that we’ve never seen before.
3. Michael Fassbender – Victor Zsasz
Michael Fassbender may have been wasted if he was cast as Victor Zsasz in Batman Begins. After all, the role was pretty minuscule, but it would have been a great cameo. It would have made a lasting impact as Fassbender is just electric on screen. He’s also played some of the best villains around. And Fassbender can go all-out. He’s not just a mustache-twirler, as he can be truly intimidating, and that’s precisely what Victor Zsasz is.
Fassbender would also be great for the knife-wielding Batman villain in the Gotham TV show. There, the character has a lot more to do. Unfortunately, it’s doubtful that a big-star like Fassbender would have taken the part even if he was offered it.
2. Daniel Craig – Two-Face
It was nearly impossible for anyone to eclipse Heath Ledger’s performance in The Dark Knight. Therefore, it’s pretty hard to blame Aaron Eckhart for not doing so. Eckhart was also a great Harvey Dent, but could you imagine if Nolan cast Daniel Craig in the role?
Craig is (and was) arguably a bigger star than Ledger. Additionally, he would have been as odd of a choice for Two-Face as Ledger was for The Joker. Chances are, he would have made Two-Face his own, just as Ledger did with The Joker. In fact, the two could have even enjoyably competed for the spotlight. This piece comes from the terrific SkywalkerFx101.
1. Josh Brolin – Batman
Although Josh Brolin admitted that he is happy that he wasn’t cast as Bruce Wayne/Batman in the DCEU, it’s undeniable that he would have been better than Ben Affleck. However, the material probably would have disappointed him in movies like Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice or Justice League.
Brolin would be ideal for The Dark Knight Returns storyline in the future. He’s broody, hulking, and plays grumpy so well. In short, he’s perfect to play the older version of this iconic superhero.
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Which of these fan castings do you think would have been better than what we got? Let us know in the comments below!