If the settings match! Batman is arguably one of the best superheroes ever created, but not everyone has been lucky enough to be the caped crusader.
George Clooney, Michael Keaton and Val Kilmer is part of the list of many actors who have stepped into the dual role of billionaire Bruce Wayne / Batman. Lewis Wilson was the first to wear the suit in 1943 Batmanfollowed by Robert Lowery The New Adventures of Batman & Robin in 1949. However, from the lucky stars, Christian Bale‘s performance is one that has resonated with fans years after he ran as an iconic character.
Bale starred as the caped crusader Christopher NolanThe “Dark Knight” franchise in the late 2000s. At fighter the actor spoke to The Guardian in 2016 about what he believes he can do better in his role. “I couldn’t manage what I wanted through the trilogy. [Director] Chris [Nolan] yes, but I feel like, ‘I’m not good enough,'” he explained.
“Batman, he’s a very, very dark, chaotic character,” he continued. “I found when I put on the suit that I wanted, ‘I feel like an idiot if I don’t use this as a means to [show] it’s actually our horrible selves that are allowed to come out at that time.’”
Ben Affleck Bale’s success in 2017 Justice League and 2016 Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Neither film was well-received by critics, but the DC Extended Universe installments have each grossed more than $500 million at the worldwide box office. (Justice League raked in $657.9 million, while Batman v Superman $873.6 million.)
The Academy Award winner confirmed his departure from the DCEU in January 2019, but his retirement didn’t last long. He returned for the reshoots of Justice League when the original director Zack Snyder Given the chance to debut his intended vision on HBO Max. Zack Snyder’s Justice League debut in March 2021.
“It’s a good way to look back because the previous experience was difficult,” Affleck said variety Next October. “This is really good. It’s really fun.”
“Batfleck” will return in 2022 The Flash movie, which will explore the multiverse, so the former caped crusader is another in the same movie. Keaton is also set to reprise his role as the Dark Knight in the action film (also in the future Batgirl).
Before that Good Will Hunting The actor’s next ride in the Batmobile, however, viewers found yet another version of the tortured billionaire. Warner Bros. announced in May 2019 that Robert Pattinson will take over as Batman. In the film directed by Matt Reeves, Zoe Kravitz was also tapped to star Selina Kyle – aka Catwoman. (Halle Berry, Anne Hathaway and Michelle Pfeiffer previously played Selina Kyle/Catwoman.)
“Batman is not a hero,” Pattinson said in a New York Times profile from October 2019. “He’s a complicated character. I don’t think I can play a real hero – there’s always something wrong. I think one eye is smaller than the other.”
Pattinson’s turn as the Dark Knight was scheduled to hit theaters in June 2021, but production has been delayed amid the coronavirus pandemic. Filming wrapped in March 2021, and The Batman premiere in March 2022.
Scroll down to see the actors who have handled the role of Bruce Wayne / Batman, in film and television, over the years.