Michael C. Hall would be up for playing Batman in a live-action movie. Ben Affleck is the current big screen version of Batman/Bruce Wayne, though his continued future in the role is still in question. The critical and commercial receptions of both Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice and Justice League were very mixed, and rumors abound Affleck wants to leave the DCEU as soon as possible.
Affleck was once in line to write and direct solo outing The Batman, which would have seen the character go up against Deathstroke (Joe Manganiello), but he ultimately stepped down as director. Matt Reeves (War For The Planet Of The Apes) is currently developing the project, which is said to be a detective noir tale, but a question mark still hangs over Affleck's involvement. Possible replacement names have been thrown around like Jake Gyllenhaal, though the actor himself recently shot that rumor down.
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It seems Warner Bros are focused on developing other projects before a final decision is made on The Batman and Affleck's involvement. If the star does decide to depart the role there would be no shortage of actors willing to take on the cowl, including Michael C. Hall. During an interview with Yahoo! the actor spoke about the time he voiced an alternate take on Batman in animated movie Justice League: Gods And Monsters and his love of the character:
In that particular iteration of the superhero origin story, it was an alternative universe, he was a vampire. But Batman, generally, I like him as a superhero, because he’s not as sort of remarkably endowed with some sort of superpowers he’s just smart. And the suit!
When asked if he would be interested in playing the role in live-action, he broke out his best Michael Keaton impression and confirmed he would be up for it:
'I’m Batman, tell your friends about me.' I love that, that was the Michael Keaton version. Well, thanks, sure – I’m all for that.
The current DCEU version Batman leans a little older, with Bruce Wayne being a veteran crime fighter in his forties. Hall is in the right age range for that take, and he's already shown with Dexter he can play characters with a dark double life. That said, there's a big difference between an actor expressing interest in a role and a studio seriously considering them for it. While Hall would no doubt be a great, non-conventual choice, until Ben Affleck makes a final decision, Warner Bros. won't be making any offers to other actors.
Following the financial disappointment of Justice League, it appears Warner Bros is looking to shake up the DCEU a little. They're planning a non-canon, R-rated Joker movie with director Todd Philips, and Margot Robbie has claimed Birds Of Prey could very well be R rated too.
More: DC's Birds Of Prey Movie With Harley Quinn Gets A Director
The Batman doesn't currently have a release date, but we'll update you as more information arrives.
Source: Yahoo!
