Critic Picks: Top 5 Best Actors To Play Batman In ‘The Brave And The Bold’

DC Studios’ co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran have clarified that their upcoming DCU projects will definitely introduce a new actor in the role of Bruce Wayne/Batman, so it’s time for my picks of the top five best actors to play Batman in the new film The Brave and the Bold.

And before anyone asks, yes, James Gunn said, “The Brave and the Bold is the story of Batman and his actual son Damien Wayne.” So Bruce Wayne will be Batman in The Brave and the Bold, regardless of whether he eventually hands the bat-mantle off to Dick Grayson at some point in this film or a future one.

Which means casting Batman is casting Bruce Wayne, not Dick Grayson (although they’ll still also probably be casting Dick Grayson in the DCU, whether he shows up in this first bat-movie or a later one — and regardless, I still hope Matt Reeves gets to adapt Dick Grayson’s Robin origin story in The Batman films and spinoff streaming series on HBO Max, if he originally wanted/planned to do so).

Previously, I brought you my picks for the best casting options for the Superman reboot film Superman: Legacy, so be sure to check that out as well.

For my selection of the best casting choices to become our new on-screen Batman, I had to figure out the proper age-range for candidates, and I had to consider performers who bring something new and unique to the table for the character.

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There’s no point bringing in Damien as Robin and setting up the father-son dynamic unless Damien will remain a kid for at least a couple of films before transitioning into young-adult teenager. Which means Damien might be cast in the 10-12 age range, which also helps make the initial shock of his assassin skills and gruff, offensive personality hit even harder and funnier.

If Bruce fathered Damien either while training with Ra’s al Ghul or after encountering Ra’s very early in Batman’s costumed career, then Bruce might be about 30, give or take. If Bruce didn’t father Damien until sometime in his mid-20s, then Bruce would be cast in the mid-to-late 30s range.

So my picks stick to the late-20s and early/mid-30s range, with one exception that I’ll explain when I get to that actor’s name later.

It’s possible they might cast a big older, in the late-30s and early-40s range, but I suspect that with Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy ending with a middle-aged Batman and the DCEU having a middle-aged Batman, plus a middle-aged-plus former Batman returning in The Flash this year, I doubt they’ll kick off their new bat-family reboot with yet another graying Bruce/Batman.

Therefore, I believe the new DCU Batman in The Brave and the Bold is probably most likely to be played as late-20s to mid-30s range, with casting anywhere from late-20s to mid-30s. And that’s how I made my selections, albeit with one exception.

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I’m not going to get into debates about race, I don’t think it matters as a factor here because I don’t believe Bruce or Batman are defined by having white skin. Unlike for example Black Panther, for whom casting a white actor as the African king whose ancestors have for centuries protected his homeland would obviously completely change his backstory and utterly alter or eradicate the dominant themes and purpose and meaning of his character. If Bruce’s skin had been dark instead of light in the comics, it wouldn’t necessitate any changes to character, story, personality, etc.

I looked for actors who can play the detective, who can play the scary vigilante, who can play the “always the smartest person in the room” confidence and presence, who can be a playboy or a charming businessman or a brooding lonely warrior, who can be a father and a father-figure and a big brother, who can be a son forever in mourning and a son who wouldn’t trade his surrogate father for anything.

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It’s not enough to just have muscles and a square jaw, we need great performers and luckily there are plenty of wonderful options to choose from — and whatever else people can complain about, I don’t think casting has been much of a problem in either DC or Marvel movies the past decade-plus.

So here it is, my list of the top five picks to play Batman in the new DCU reboot film The Brave and The Bold…

1. Regé-Jean Page — My top choice to play Batman brings everything to the table for an awesome Bruce and excellent Batman, from acting talent to physicality to playboy charm. His built-in fanbase and popularity are also nice bonuses. Since I think it’s important to directly intentionally address issues of diversity and equality, this is an opportunity to explore new themes for Batman and a perfect time for cinema’s first Black movie Batman.
2. Nicholas Hoult — He was previously one of the final two contenders to play Batman, and he is probably still on WBD’s shortlist for another superhero role. His star is shining bright, and now would be the right time if he wants to use his momentum to make another jump into superhero cinema but in a much larger and iconic role. He was keen to play Superman, so I bet Batman would be a welcome role as well, and we’ve seen a glimpse of his Bruce Wayne playboy potential in The Great.
3. Austin Butler — He was also on my list of the best Superman casting options, but he’s one of the few actors whom I think can bring the elements necessary for Batman and Bruce Wayne as well. I think it’s inevitable that he’ll be offered several superhero roles, so it’s just a question of which fits him best. Depending on the characterization in The Brave and the Bold, his Bruce could be a new take treating him like a strutting rockstar celebrity in Gotham in a tone that carries over to Batman.
4. Dev Patel — He’s on many folks’ shortlists for various roles, including James Bond and Reed Richards (and I’d personally love to see him take the 007 franchise in a new direction). He’ll knock it out of the park regardless of whether he lands at Marvel or DC, because his performances elevate everything he’s in. But I’d love to see what he does with Bruce as playboy, Bruce as new father and mentor, and Batman as heroic mythic figure.
5. Channing Tatum — This one is a violation of my own rules, since I don’t think DC Studios will cast anyone who will be middle aged when the film releases. That said, Tatum looks a decade younger than his age and has charm, charisma, and physicality mixed with a kindness and self-depreciating humor that would work wonderfully in a family-themed Batman. And if he’s ever going to play a superhero, the clock’s ticking.

And there you have it, dear readers, my top five picks to play Batman in DC Studios’ upcoming rebooted Batman movie The Brave and the Bold.

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For some additional thoughts on casting within the new DCU version of Batman’s world, the always-amazing Rahul Kohli is easily my top pick to portray the immortal Ra’s al Ghul as a recurring character in the new DCU films.

For Damien, a few ideas are Danny Boyd, Chase Dillon, or Christian Convery — but this will be hard and crucial casting for the series, casting the right age so he remains young enough for a few films and someone with good on-screen chemistry with whomever is cast as Bruce/Batman.

And with Damien entering the live-action universe, I assume we’ll see Talia on screen again, so I think Simone Ashley would be terrific casting for that role.

Be sure to check back soon for more updates, news, and analysis about DC Studios, this year’s end of the DCEU, and the arrival of the new DCU, as well as plenty of other news, reviews, and thoughts about films, box office, and more.