Holy bus pass, Batman! They’re looking for a new grey crusader...
In a move that will cheer Hollywood’s ageing A-List, reports suggest that the next Batman won’t be a fresh-faced twentysomething, but rather a rugged type around the age of 40.
The script is not yet even written, but the rumours of a change of direction for the next choice of superhero (who is set to next appear on screen battling with Superman) are already swirling.
“According to numerous sources, this Wayne/Batman will be in the late 30s or around the 40 mark,” said The Hollywood Reporter. “He will be established and rugged.”
Christian Bale at 39, the incumbent, would be perfect for the new direction – but he has already said he won’t return. And here at Trending, we think they should look to some of the previous actors who have inhabited the cape and ab-enhancing suit.
Neither Michael Keaton, 61, star of 1989’s Batman and 1992’s Batman Returns, nor Val Kilmer, 53 (Batman Forever in 1995), look like they would be too busy to take on the role again.
George Clooney’s turn as the caped crusader, in Batman & Robin in 1997, is one of the few questionable films of a hugely successful career. It would be a chance to right some wrongs and to prove that he is a youthful enough 52 to drop a decade.
But if producers wanted to go fully grizzled, they could also jump on the back of the grey movie boom and re-hire Adam West, who played the lead role in Batman in 1966. After all, the actor, a mere 84, is still working….
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