Sometimes it’s a fun thought experiment to imagine the possibilities, and think of what almost was. A simple change can have bigger repercussions than you may initially think, particularly when it comes to movies and their casting choices. For example: imagine a world where the DCEU’s Batman wasn’t Ben Affleck, but instead Josh Brolin.
Over on MTV’s Happy Sad Confused podcast, the former Jonah Hex and Thanos talked a little bit more about how he was this close to playing the Dark Knight in Zack Snyder’s corner of the DC universe, something he previously spoke about in 2018. This was prior to his turn as Deadpool 2’s Cable, obviously, and he described the role as “interesting,” one that he would’ve liked to play because it would’ve been a then-risky endeavour for him. “Something’s that set up not to work at all, or work flyingly,” he said, “I like those odds. I’m like, ‘Am I the guy who’s gonna make it fail?’”
When asked about what led to him not getting the part, Brolin simply said that it all came down to Snyder, repeating that “it wasn’t my decision, it was his decision.” If he had gotten the part, it sounds like his approach to the character would’ve been pretty much the same as Affleck’s. “It would’ve been the older, more raspy Batman, for lack of a better word.” With Brolin’s voice, he probably wouldn’t have needed the voice modifier and would’ve been able to deliver lines like “Do you bleed?” with his trademark grit.
Despite not getting the part now, Brolin said he’d be down to play Batman in the future. “That would’ve been a fun deal,” he said, “maybe I’ll do it when I’m 80.” Given that Batman never really goes away, and anyone is getting a chance to play him at this point, maybe WB will get him for an HBO Max series after Pattinson’s contract has ended. Heck, he’d probably be the perfect Bruce for a Batman Beyond film or game, even. In the meantime, you can get your Brolin fix by watching Amazon Prime’s The Outer Range. It’s (apparently) pretty good!
[via Deadline]