Come this August we will see Christian Bale’s last performance as Batman and Bruce Wayne, and the speculation will be begin as to who will be the next man to don the cowl. Not only will the task of bringing the character himself to life in a new and interesting way, but they will also be following an actor who has arguable given us one of the definitive portrayals of the characters numerous different personalities in believable and engaging performance.
When looking at the role of Batman you have to consider, it could be argued that it can be broken down into three separate personalities or aspects to the character. These being, Batman, Bruce Wayne as only Alfred sees and the Bruce Wayne that the rest of the world sees and judges. For the sake of ease of reading, I will refer to the private Bruce Wayne, purely as Bruce, and the other public Bruce Wayne as Wayne.
Briefly going through these different aspects of the overall character, the Batman part of the character is self explanatory in what is generally expected. Next comes the Bruce character, the one which is arguably the true Bruce Wayne, and which he keeps secret only showing it to Alfred, as it gives us an insight to pain that he feels over the loss of his parents, and often shows us the extent of the burden of being Batman has taken upon him. This was one of the main strengths and stand out part of Bale’s performance. Finally, is the Wayne aspect, which is often used as a distraction by Bruce, to keep people from suspecting him, and for comic relief moments, as he is often portrayed as being arrogant and sometimes oblivious to the wider world.
As mentioned by David S Goyer in an interview for Batman Begins, it was easy to find an actor to play either Batman or Bruce Wayne, but very difficult to find many that could play both, which was why Bale was cast, a decision that was well received by almost everyone. So once again, the creative team will once again have to embark on a search for someone who can provide the physique of the character, but also show a wide enough range to make him believable.
When considering the kind of casting you would need for Batman, it would be easy to just merely claim that it should go with an unknown actor and end the argument. As unlike some comic book roles, Batman can easily attract the best actors around, both because of the weight and stature of the character, but also because of the instant boost it can give to a career. Looking back at the last four men to play Batman, Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer, George Clooney and Bale, neither of them were unknowns, all of them were well known, with a solid body of work, maybe not necessarily in genres that normally preside being cast as Batman. I am referring mainly on how people reacted when Keaton was cast, after doing a number of comedies, something none of the other three have done many of.
Now I would like to mention a name of who in my humble opinion should be considered by the next creative team. Ryan Gosling. Now depending on what direction the next creative team want to go, in terms of story, be it a reboot, and picking up when Batman is established (there really is no need to go and do another origin film, Batman Begins has that taken care of), or if they change their minds of a reboot, and pick up after the end of The Dark Knight Rises, if it’s still possible, then Gosling physically can pull of each possible direction.
In terms of acting ability, Gosling is more than capable of portraying three different aspects of the character. The three roles that demonstrated this were Drive, The Ides of March and Half Nelson. In regards to Drive, a character who spoke very sparsely, only when it was absolutely necessary, and who demonstrated a violent physicality, which would he need for the fistycuffs that crop up in any Batman film. In Half Nelson, we saw a vulnerable and flawed man, who at times couldn’t control an addiction that had a control over him, and could ruin him. Finally, in The Ides of March, we saw the more arrogant and uncaring man who at times, I felt, thought himself better than those around him, something that the Wayne character possesses, and needs to keep his relevancy.
Obviously, there is a chance that Gosling would have no interest in the role at all, and I am by no means saying that he is only one capable of playing Batman. There may be some young actor out there, who after one or two great films will be propelled to the top of the list, or an actor everyone knows will suddenly show a jump in ability, and catapult himself into contention.
Finally, like Bale, having Gosling as the next Batman, would really help the new creative team to build a great cast around their leading man, like Christopher Nolan has done with his Dark Knight trilogy, bringing in the best actors possible to bring the world to life, and give characters a weight and presence to them.
Whatever happens, it’s unlikely that we will find out who will don the cowl for a good three to four years, and even then, that could be wishful thinking. But if I had my way, it would be Ryan Gosling, pulling it on and disappearing into Gotham City.
