First off, I'd like to say I'm a fan of both Tim Burton's and Christopher Nolan's films. After Nolan's trilogy is finished, Warner Brothers will make
another reboot. Even though I loathe the idea, I decide to make a cast for this inevitable reboot.
For the director, I have not one, but two choices. The first is Darren Aronofsky (
Pi,
Requiem for a Dream,
Black Swan) and the second is David Fincher (
Se7en,
Fight Club,
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo). They have both made dark films and their vision would fit perfectly in the world of Batman.
Anyway, on with the cast:
Heroes:
James Caviezel as Bruce Wayne/Batman: The son of millionaires tHomas and Martha Wayne. When he was eight years old, he saw his parents gunned down by a mugger. He then swore to avenge his parent's deaths. Bruce spent the next years of his life traveling the world, learning various martial arts, training himself to peak physical and mental conditioning, and studying the criminal mind. While hides behind the image of a callous playboy, Bruce fights crime as the vigilante Batman. He s armed with special equipment such as Batarangs (bat shaped boomerangs), and a specialized car called the Batmobile.
Reason for Casting: I've seen Caviezel's name thrown around for a lot of roles, but I think he is most suited for Batman. You can find your proof in his new show,
Person of Interest. His character, John Reese, reminds me a lot of Wayne. Both character have lost a loved one in the past, and it has effected them deeply. Besides that, he is an excellent actor.
John Hurt as Sir Alfred Pennyworth: Bruce's loyal butler, who raised him after his parent's death, and helped him become the Batman.
Reason for casting: Hurt is a very seasoned and talented actor. He would make a great replacement for Michael Caine.
Dennis Haysbert as Lucius Fox: The CEO of Wayne Enterprises and a friend of Thomas Wayne. He designs and supplies equipment for Bruce on his war on crime.
Reason for Casting: I've enjoyed Haysbert's work on
The Unit. I also think his voice is perfect for Fox.
Christina Hendricks as Vicki Vale: An investigative reporter for the
Gotham Gazzette and a love interest of Bruce Wayne, whom she has on several ocassions suspected he was Batman.
Reason for Casting: I've enjoyed her work on
Mad Men, and think she'd be great in this role. Plus, she resembles the way Jim Lee drawed her in
All Star Batman & Robin, the Boy Wonder (and Jim Lee's art was the only good thing about that piece of crap).
Bryan Cranston as Commissioner James Gordon: The police commissioner of Gotham City Police Department, and one of the few public officials that support Batman. He has a mutual respect for the Caped Crusader.
Reason for Casting: Yes, Cranston has been used
a lot for James Gordon. But you can't deny the fact that he would be fantastic in the role. He would make a Gordon that is as every bit as good as Gary Oldman's.
James Gandolfini as Lieutenant Harvey Bullock: One of Gordon's most trusted policeman who is, depsite his brutality, a good cop at heart. He has a fondness for doughnuts and cigars.
Reason for Casting: Were you expecting Michael Madsen? Maybe Ray Winstone? The answer is no. Gandolfini may have played the mob boss of our generation, but he would nail the role of Bullock on the freakin' head.
Rosario Dawson as Detective Renee Montoya: A detective in Gordon's unit and former partner of Harvey Bullock.
Reason for Casting: To be honest, I wanted to be original with my Montoya pick, so no Michelle Rodriguez (plus I think she's a bad actress). Dawson is very talented and I think she would excel in the role.
Mekhi Phifer as Detective Crispus Allen: Montoya's partner after Bullock was promoted. He views Batman as a necessary evil, not supporting him, yet tolerating his activities.
Reason for Casting: After seeing his work on
Lie To Me, I think that Phifer would make an excellent Crispus Allen.
Villains:
Michael Sheen as The Joker: An intelligent psychopath with a sadistic sense of humor and Batmsn's archenemy. The Joker's real identity is unknown. The only hint of his origin is that his chalk white skin and green hair were a result of chemical bleaching. The Joker commits crimes that are both whimsical and brutal, all based on a logic and reason that makes sense to only him alone. The Joker uses a variety of gag based weapons, and leaves his victims with a rictus grin on their faces.
Reason for Casting: To me, its really hard to top Heath Ledger's performance as the Joker. After seeing Sheen's brief performance as Castor in
Tron: Legacy, I decided that Sheen would be brilliant as the Joker. My take on the Joker that he's a brilliantly intellectual maniac with a bit of wackiness to him (like Mark Hamill's take on the Joker).
Tom Hollander as Edward Nygma/The Riddler: A man obessed with riddles, puzzles, and word games. Nygma is a genius and is skilled at inductive and deductive reasoning, lateral thinking,and pattern recognition, yet his downfall is his malignant narcism. The Riddler delights in warning Batman and the police with complex clues.
Reason for Casting: My pick is pretty original, at least in my opinion. I have not considered using him before, but it was his performance in
Hanna that solded me, particularly this little clip:
Paul Giamatti as Oswald Cobblepot/The Penguin: A short man who is known for his love of birds and customized umbrellas. He is the owner of several nightclubs, which provide a backdrop for his criminal activities.
Reason for Casting: Paul is a fan-freaking-tastic actor. He would make a very memorable Penguin.
Liev Schreiber as Harvey Dent/Two Face: The former District Attorney of Gotham. During the trial of Sal Maroni, a man (hired by Falcone) disfigured the left side of Dent's face with sulfuric acid. Driven insane by his appearance, Dent became the criminal known as Two Face. Dent is unable to make decisions on his own, and relies on a two headed coin (with one side scarred) to make them. After his disfigurement, Dent developed split personalities. One is himself, and the other is an evil, violent persona called "Big Bad Harv". Two Face bases the crimes he commits around and carries two handguns on his person.
Reason for Casting: Schreiber was rumored for the role before Aaron Eckhart took it. I think Liev has the talent to pull off the sophisticated, charismatic Dent and the tortured, psychotic Two-Face. Plus, he looks similar to how Dent was drawn in
The Long Halloween.
David Tennant as Doctor Johnathan Crane/The Scarecrow: A psychiatrist at Arkham Asylum who is know for his lanky frame and his obsession with books. While at Arkham, he experimented on patients with a has based hallucinogen that makes the victim hallucinate their greatest fears. Crane was fired from his job at Arkham after his experiments were deemed unethical. Crane then became the criminal known as Scarecrow, using his fear toxin as a weapon.
Reason for Casting: Tennant has been a popular choice for The Riddler, yet I don't see him in the role. However, Tennant would make an excellent Scarecrow. He matches his physical description and can play insane characters (judging from his brief performance as Barty Crouch Jr. in
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire). For Scarecrow's costume, I'd like to keep the Burlap sack and noose that was used for Cillian Murphy's Scarecrow. I would add a beaten up fedora, a torn grey-green sweater, dirty trousers, and a pair of worn down boots.
Mila Kunis as Selina Kyle/Catwoman: A professional, thrill-seeking thief who has a complex love-hate relationship with the Dark Knight. Kyle was previously a prostitute. However, after her violent pimp (and former boyfriend), Stan, abducts and abuses her sister, Selina violently kills him and begins her new life as Catwoman. Selina's suit posses spring loaded climbing piltons and retractable claws. Kyle also carries a bullwhip.
Reason for Casting: First off, I don't really mind Anne Hathaway being casted, but I think she is too sweet to play her. I've been a big supporter of Kunis as Catwoman for a long time. I even joined a Facebook page for God's Sake. She has feline like complexions and a nice body. Not to mention to she's a very talented actress and one of my favorites.
Christopher Meloni as Roman Siois/Black Mask: The son of the wealthy and self absorbed Sionis family who cared more about their social status than their own son. His parents hated the Wayne family and were vocal about it in private, yet they continued to associate with them to ensure their statuses. He grew to hate and resent his parents and the "masks" they wore in public. He later burned down the family mansion after his parents disapprove of a relationship he was having with a secretary named Circe. Roman inherited his father's company, Janus Cosmetics, yet soon runned it into the ground. After that, Circe broke up with him in front of his staff and Bruce Wayne then offered to bail him out if he gave up control. Furious at the humiliation that he had suffered, Siois broke the ebony lid of his father's coffin and soon became the crime lord known as Black Mask. Sios carries around a pair of handguns and is a skilled hand-to-hand fighter.
Reason for Casting: I've seen Meloni in a few episodes of
Oz and
Law & Order: SVU (my mom's a big fan of the show). Even though it is not much, I think Meloni would own the role of Black Mask.
Norman Reedus as Floyd Lawton/Deadshot: A professional assassin who boosts that he never misses and will always carry out any hit with no exceptions (as long as he is getting paid). Lawton is capable of using any weapon, but prefers to use a pair of silenced, wrist-mounted, 9mm machine guns.
Reason for Casting: I have been watching a lot of
The Walking Dead and Reedus's character, Daryl Dixon, is a total, first rate badass. He gives off this vibe that I think is perfect for Floyd Lawton.
Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje as Waylon Jones/Killer Croc: A man born with a form of atavism that gave him reptilian traits. Jones grew up with his alcoholic aunt, who abused him and called him names like "Lizard Boy". After Jone murdered his Aunt, and then became the ferocious criminal known as Killer Croc. Croc has a regenerative healing factor, along with superhuman strengh, hardened skin, and razor sharp claws.
Reason for Casting: I'm probably the only person who is sick of seeing Kevin Grevioux as Croc in every single fancast. Adewale would be a fantastic pick for Croc since he has played violent characters before such as Simon Adebesi on
Oz.
Edward Norton as Thomas Elliott/Hush: A childhood friend of Bruce Wayne, who holds a grudge against the Wayne family after Thomas Wayne inadvertently thwarted his plans to kill his parents and inherit their fortune. Thomas later grew up to become a renowned surgeon, but soon learned from the Riddler that Bruce Wayne was Batman. Armed with that knowledge, Thomas became Hush, and set out to destroy both the man and the Bat. Besides being a master surgeon, Hush is an experienced marksman and carries around a pair of Colt .45 handguns.
Reason for Casting: Since Norton isn't playing Bruce Banner anymore, I thought that Hush might be a great fit for him. What sold me on casting him was his performances in
American History X and
25th Hour. Those roles convinced me that Edward would make a brilliant Hush.
Colin Farrell as Victor Zsasz: A serial killer whose body is covered with tally marks, each tally representing a victim (which he refers to as zombies. A nihilist, Zsasz believes that life is pointless and that by killing people, he is freeing them from their miserable existence. Zsasz usually kills young woman, but has no qualms on who he kills.
Reason for Casting:I've recently seen Farrell in the remake of
Fright Night. His performance convinced me that he would play a brilliant Zsasz.
Kevin Spacey as Hugo Strange: A psychiatrist who was hired by the Gotham Police Department to capture. While brilliant at his work, Strange can be equally psychotic. He became so obsessed over Batman that he began to dress up as him in private. Strange was one of the first people to deduce Batman's secret identity. Besides his high intelligence, Strange is an expert in the fields of chemistry and biology.
Reason for Casting: His roles in
The Usual Suspects and
Se7en convinced me that Spacey would own the part. If you've seen the two films I've just mentioned, you know that Kevin would make a memorable Strange.
Javier Bardem as Bane: Bane spent his whole life in the Peña Dura prison, serving out his father's sentence. Bane developed his skills to extraordinary levels. He read any book he could get his hands on, straightening his body in the prison's gym, and learned to fight in through the harsh prison life. He learned from hardened convicts to a Jesuit priest, and soon became the "king" of Peña Dura The prison then forced to use a test subject for the drug Venom, which had killed all other test subjects. Although he barely survived the experiment, he found the drug vastly increased his physical strength, but he had to take the drug every twelve hours or he would suffer deliberating side effects. Bane soon escaped Peña Dura and his ambitions turned to destroying the Batman. Besides his enhanced strength, Bane is also a genius leveled intellect and expert strategist.
Reason for Playing: Yes, I know this pick has been overdone, but I couldn't find anybody else to play a more perfect Bane. Bardem played one of the most memorable villains on screen in
No Country for Old Men. Based on that performance, Bardem could play the Bane that we all have been wanting to see.
Ray Stevenson as Lyle Bolton/Lock-Up: A large, muscular man specializing in incarceration, who served as head of security at Arkham Asylum. However, he pushed the boundaries of the law and used brutal and unnecessary means to keep his prisoners in line. His methods were soon exposed and he was relieved of his position. Bolton began to believe that media was supporting crime by glorifying criminals, aided by a legal system that seemingly made by politicians and the police to serve as a revolving door for criminals. Creating tools and a costume, Bolton became Lock Up and set out to arrest people who he believed was the root of Gotham's problems.
Reason for Casting: I casted Stevenson based on his performance in
Punisher: War Zone, since I consider Lock-Up to be a reverse version of the Punisher.
Alicia Witt as Doctor Pamela Isley/Poison Ivy: A botanist who studied advanced botanical biochemistry under Doctor Jason Woodrue. Woodrue secretly injects isley with a mixture of poisons and toxins as a part of an experiment. Isley nearly dies twice from the experiments and is driven insane. However, she gains to ability to control plant life, along with an immunity to all known poisons, toxins, and viruses and the additional ability to secrete flora toxins that can inure or intoxicate. Enraged at her betrayal, Isley sought revenge as the criminal Poison Ivy.
Reason fro Casting: To be honest, I haven't any of Alicia Witt's work. But I have a surefire feeling that she could pull off the role.
Christina Ricci as Doctor Harleen Quinzeel/Harley Quinn: A psychiatrist at Arkham who fell for the Joker. After helping him escape from Arkham, she became his accomplice and on and off again girlfriend, Harley Quinn. Quinn is a talented gymnast and posses above average fighting skills.
Reason for Casting: If you were expecting Kristen Bell, then I'm sorry to disappoint you. I only see Bell as a comedic actress and doesn't fit my take on Quinn. Yes, I chose little Wednesday Adams for the role. Ricci has done dark work before (e.g.
Monster and
The Ice Storm) and I can see her pulling the role off brilliantly.
Maggie Q as Sandra Woosan/Lady Shiva: A master martial artist and assassin for hire, who specializes in killing her targets with her bare hands. She possess the uncanny ability to read her opponent's body language and anticipate their next move.
Reason for Casting: Maggie Q is a decent actress (in my opinion), but her role on
Nikita convinced me to cast her in the part.
Viggo Mortensen as Ra's Al Ghul: The head of the League of Assassins. Ra's believes that humanity is lost to corruption and must be purged of its sins. He does this through the use of terrorism, vigilantism, and assassinations. He posses an expanded lifespan through use of the rejuvenating Lazarus Pits.
Reason for Casting: Viggo has that presence to him that makes e think that he would make a Ra's Al Ghul that's as equally good as Liam Neeson's.
Kate Beckinsale as Talia Al Ghul: The daughter of Ra's Al Ghul, heir to his empire, and on and off lover of Bruce Wayne. She has committed crimes in the past, but only due to her loyalty to her father rather than personal gain.
Reason for Casting: I almost went Stana Katic before deciding that she was a unoriginal choice (plus I wanted somebody closer to Caviezel's age).. Even though she's a popular choice for Catwoman, I think Kate would make an excellent Talia al Ghul after seeing her in the
Underworld films.
Please leave your thoughts and comments below. I hope you have enjoyed this article. Also, no rude comments.