THE HOBBIT Actor Richard Armitage Confirms That He Was On The Shortlist To Play BATMAN

THE HOBBIT Actor Richard Armitage Confirms That He Was On The Shortlist To Play BATMAN

Before Ben Affleck landed the role of The Batman, there were rumors that Richard Armitage had also been in line to don the cape 'n cowl, and now the actor has confirmed that this was indeed the case...

By MarkCassidy - Jun 14, 2018 06:06 AM EST
Filed Under: Batman
Source: Digital Spy
You may remember whispers of Richard Armitage (The Hobbit, Ocean's 8) being on the shortlist to take over from Christian Bale as Batman leading up to the announcement that Ben Affleck had won the part, and now the actor has confirmed that he was actually among the final handful of thesps to test for the role.

"There was a little flurry once upon a time just after I'd come out of The Hobbit where I auditioned for Batman," Armitage revealed to Digital Spy. "It was at the same time that Christian Bale was leaving, there were about five or six actors that were in line for that character, so I went through quite a process with that."

Armitage has yet to portray a superhero on the big screen, but it sounds like voicing Logan for Marvel's Wolverine: The Long Night scripted podcast has piquied his interest in potentially entering that world. If not Batman, is there a chance he could inherit the claws from Hugh Jackman, perhaps?


"It would be a tall order, wouldn't it, to follow Hugh Jackman's performance? We look a little bit alike, which I think would be a bit weird. But of course it would be amazing. It's a great character, a really great character."

What do you guys think? Could you see Armitage as Batman? Word has it that Matt Reeves is casting a younger incarnation of The Dark Knight for his film, so that's probably a long shot - but how about Wolverine?

Drop us a comment below!
Jeffrey Dean Morgan Confirms He Was Supposed To Play The DCEU's FLASHPOINT Batman
Related:

Jeffrey Dean Morgan Confirms He Was Supposed To Play The DCEU's FLASHPOINT Batman

JOHN WICK Star Keanu Reeves Is A Disillusioned Angel In First Trailer For Aziz Ansari's GOOD FORTUNE
Recommended For You:

JOHN WICK Star Keanu Reeves Is A Disillusioned Angel In First Trailer For Aziz Ansari's GOOD FORTUNE

DISCLAIMER: As a user generated site and platform, ComicBookMovie.com is protected under the DMCA (Digital Millenium Copyright Act) and "Safe Harbor" provisions.

This post was submitted by a user who has agreed to our Terms of Service and Community Guidelines. ComicBookMovie.com will disable users who knowingly commit plagiarism, piracy, trademark or copyright infringement. Please CONTACT US for expeditious removal of copyrighted/trademarked content. CLICK HERE to learn more about our copyright and trademark policies.

Note that ComicBookMovie.com, and/or the user who contributed this post, may earn commissions or revenue through clicks or purchases made through any third-party links contained within the content above.

1 2 3
GhostDog
GhostDog - 6/14/2018, 6:54 AM
If you haven't listened to Wolverine: The Long Night PLEASE DO. I just started and it is damn good. Marvel is planning an entire podcast universe too.

Armitage is great.
MaximusTheMad
MaximusTheMad - 6/14/2018, 6:57 AM
Five years ago, he would have been perfect for Batman AND Wolverine.


But at 46, he's too old to be starting out just now.


Damn shame.
Nebula
Nebula - 6/14/2018, 7:03 AM
@MaximusTheMad -
Michael Keaton was 41.
Ben Affleck was 43.
MasterMix
MasterMix - 6/14/2018, 7:00 AM
Hail Hydra?
789
789 - 6/14/2018, 7:04 AM
That's interesting who were those 5 actors, who were auditioned for the role????
L0RDbuckethead
L0RDbuckethead - 6/14/2018, 8:12 AM
@789 - Well from past interviews we know these were the people that tried out for Batman when Affleck got it:

1. Affleck
2. Armitage
3. Armie Hammer
4. Josh Brolin

That leaves only one more. I have heard that Keanu Reeves auditioned for the part but I have no proof.
IronGenesis
IronGenesis - 6/14/2018, 7:13 AM
Ugh!
He was my preferred choice back in 2013
MrCamw1
MrCamw1 - 6/14/2018, 7:15 AM
Have him play a villain. He was great as Francis Dolarhyde in season 3 of Hannibal.
Invasion96
Invasion96 - 6/14/2018, 7:18 AM
Wonder how things would’ve turned out
1 2 3
View Recorder