When it comes to casting our favorite superheroes, whether you're a DC or Marvel fan, things can get pretty vocal online. The hype behind signing the right actors for these comic book movie roles are some of Hollywood's highest pressure situations, ranging from casting the likes of Chris Evans as Captain America to the rumor mill that was chugging away before Henry Cavill became Zack Snyder's Superman.
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One other role that's always under scrutiny is Batman. The microscope fell on the Dark Knight when Christoper Nolan had to cast his Caped Crusader, and when Warner Bros. moved away from Christian Bale's depiction. Everyone was waiting with bated breath until Ben Affleck took up the cowl. Now, with Affleck officially retiring and speculation mounting, we have a few candidates of our own to play the future Batman.
5. Aidan Turner
Turner's not one of Hollywood's biggest names yet, but let's be real, neither were Bale or George Clooney when they donned the cape. Superhero movies don't necessarily cast A-listers as leads, although Affleck did fit this bill. However, casting someone like Turner isn't just about looking for a relative unknown who'll have less pressure on him. He actually brings a pedigree that fits the stoic nature of Batman.
Turner, a 35-year-old Irishman, not only has a theater background, but he has done well playing heroes before. In The Hobbit franchise, he was the virtuous Kíli, and, most recently, he had a breakout role in The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then the Bigfoot. There, he played a soldier, Calvin Barr, who trekked across Europe, learning from a Russian warlord how to become a better warrior to kill Hitler -- similar to Bruce Wayne learning under Ra's al Ghul.
He's also played a dark character, the vampire John on BBC's highly-acclaimed Being Human horror series, and has that chiseled, square jaw that even convinced comic writer Mark Millar to endorse him as the next Batman.
4. Penn Badgley
Badgley has struggled to really make his name on the big screen after becoming one of America's sweethearts on Gossip Girl. But after seeing him recently on Netflix's stalker series, You, he does dark and tortured pretty well. Not to mention he has that same sinister vibe Bale had in American Psycho. He's 32, so that's the young age new director Matt Reeves is targeting. Also, Badgley has relatively the same frame Bale had before Nolan signed him on, so he can easily bulk up.
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What makes Badgley an outsider pick, but still an intriguing one, is that in You he came off like a detective trying to find the love of his life. Now, he may have had some misses in his big screen career, but so did Heath Ledger before donning Joker's iconic makeup. Badgley can even bring the young adult crowd he's courted since his teen drama days on the CW, and what's a further positive is that he knows how to rock that playboy look (i.e., the dual lifestyle vibe that's so synonymous with Bruce Wayne).
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3. Ben Barnes
Now, Barnes is the oldest of our picks at 37, but, again, Affleck was 46, so that's still nine years younger and something Reeves can work with if he's to continue with his initial vision of a noir crime procedural Bat film. Apart from shaving some years off Affleck, he brings a world-weary, experienced essence to the detective. After all, he'll have to be seasoned to a point to truly be the cerebral investigator Reeves is looking to depict.
As for the traits that make Barnes a great fit, well, he's good-looking and has that mysterious element down. Looking at him, we can see him embodying Bruce Wayne in a suit. He's not in high demand and, most importantly, he has a lot of range. Barnes has grown leaps and bounds since playing Prince Caspian in The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, something he recently proved on Marvel's The Punisher series, where he played the villain Jigsaw.
He can do antihero, he can do violent and unhinged and, of course, he can bring the tears and emotional angst. Once Barnes bulks up, we can easily see him leading Gotham's war on crime.
2. Connor Swindells
Swindells may be the most unknown name of the lot here, but at 22 he looks a lot older than he really is. The young Brit knows all about physicality, as he's a former boxer. But in terms of resume, Swindells is showing that he's one of Hollywood's rapidly rising stars and someone Reeves and Warner Bros. can pin down in the long term with this career-defining role.
In Netflix's Sex Education, he was an intense (somewhat psychopathic teen) by the name of Adam, reminding us that he has a Bale air to him. If you're looking for the performance that sells his range and overall intensity, though, look no further than the British rap film Vs., where he plays a young rapper in what's essentially a British version of Eminem's 8 Mile.
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He's also appeared alongside Gerard Butler in The Vanishing, a psychological thriller about kidnappings and disappearances at a lighthouse, which is the perfect audition for him to play DC's greatest detective.
1. Jack O'Connell
O'Connell is best suited to play Batman for quite a few reasons. At 28, not only does he have that Bale face, but his portfolio is by far the most impressive. Eleven years ago, he was shocking fans as a teen hooligan in Eden Lake torturing Michael Fassbender. He's grown leaps and bounds since then. The Englishman also had intense roles in Starred Up, a prison film filled with violence and riots like the Arkham Asylum games.
O'Connell's range, however, is what puts him ahead of the field. Sure, he's done more typical action roles like 300: Rise of an Empire, but he's also been in the war film Angelina Jolie directed, Unbroken, as well as the drama Money Monster alongside George Clooney. He was also on the British comedy Skins, as well as Netflix's Western drama Godless, proving his versatility. He's definitely one of the next big things in Hollywood and ticks all the boxes Reeves is looking for, ergo why he was rumored for the role in the past.