Fantasy Casting: Batman
The moment Christopher Nolan announced that The Dark Knight Rises would be the last of his Batman films, people have been talking about how and when the series should be rebooted. This inevitably led to people suggesting different directors and actors, all while the Nolan series is barely cold.
I’ve decided to weigh in with what I think could be particularly good. I think that there needs to be a decidedly different tone to the next series. The Nolan films emphasized gritty realism, while the Schumacher movies were all about goofiness and camp. Perhaps we should return to the early 90s, in which Tim Burton was given huge budgets in order to essentially give the audience a master class in German Expressionism. This eventually led to what I consider to be the best depiction of Batman and Gotham City: Batman, the Animated Series. The Art Deco quality to the design, along with the general tragic tone, made this world heightened, but emotionally recognizable. It seemed to exist in a world outside of time, where Batman’s gadgets still seem futuristic, but it wouldn’t be unusual for people to travel by blimp.
I think the director that tried to capture this tone would set himself apart from the other attempts at putting Batman on the big screen. I would be very excited indeed.
I have taken the liberty of casting the primary rogue’s gallery, just in case this series went on for five or six movies.
Here goes!
Directed by: Andrew Dominik (Chopper, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, Killing Them Softly)
Written by: Lem Dobbs (Dark City, The Limey, Haywire)
Starring:
Batman- Michael Fassbender
Robin- Matt O’Leary
Alfred- Jim Broadbent
Commissioner Gordon- Martin Sheen
The Joker- Tim Roth
The Penguin- Paul Giamatti
Catwoman- Rosario Dawson
The Riddler- Tom Hiddleston
Harley Quinn- Anna Faris
Two-Face- Jon Hamm
Poison Ivy- Jessica Chastain
The Scarecrow- Michael Shannon
Mr. Freeze- Giancarlo Esposito
I love all of these, the only one I might take a issue with is Rosario Dawson. She’s good but I don’t know if I would buy her as Cat Woman. Maybe Paula Patton instead?
Oh man, Rosario Dawson as Catwoman. I guess there’s this huge movement of people online who want Kristen Bell to be Harley Quinn, which I think would be fun, but I like the idea of Anna Faris even more.
Those are all excellent picks, with the huge exception of Andrew Dominick as director. I could not have hated KILLING THEM SOFTLY more and I don’t think he has the proper eye or design sense to do the Bruce Timm version of Gotham on the big screen. But Tim Roth as the Joker? Genius.
I’m gonna double down on opposing Kyle’s complaint and say if you’re gonna go Dominik, go all the way and have him script it, too. Man’s a brilliant writer.
Still say Crispin Glover would’ve made the greatest Joker that ever could be.
Oh man, brilliant choices with Harley Quinn and Mr. Freeze.