Academy Award nominee Josh Brolin has confirmed that at one point director Zach Snyder considered him for the Batman role in the ‘Man of Steel’ follow up most are nicknaming ‘Batman Vs. Superman.’
When asked if they’d discussed his stepping into the role, the actor replied, “We did. I didn’t have conversations about it, but Zack, that was part of his idea. It just didn’t turn out. It’s OK. It is OK. You know, another scenario might have worked better, but I’m happy for Ben.”
Unlike a large portion of the fanboy community, Hollywood does seem to be rallying around the beleaguered ‘Argo’ actor who has been largely slammed on social media since it was revealed that he’d won the role, with one person going so far as to create a White House petition asking that he be removed from the role. (The White House has deleted said petition.) Comedian and noted fanboy Patton Oswalt wrote a lengthy message on his Facebook defending Affleck. Justin Timberlake went so far as to state that he’d like to play The Riddler opposite him.
‘The Wolverine’ star Hugh Jackman stated “Ben is poised to crush it. I’m really happy for him. I’m so happy he got the part. The difficult part of the role is the Bruce Wayne part. I think he will crush it, and I’m really excited to see what he does. He’s ready for it. I love Ben—he’s super smart, very talented, and he will be around for a long time. I think people are gonna to love it.” He even offered the use of his own personal trainer.
And of course Affleck’s wife, Jennifer Garner reacted positively. “I’m excited about Batman, of course. Everything we do, we look at it together, and we say, ‘Can we handle this? Can we take this?’ And this was one where we were like, ‘Let’s go to Michigan!'”
When asked his reaction to the online outcry, Brolin expressed sympathy:
“I’ve never seen such a global reaction in my life. I feel for him, truly. I would not want to be him right now. The reaction becomes so personal. It’s like, ‘F*ck this guy, I wish he was dead.’ And you’re like, ‘What? Dude, seriously? This guy is just working like you are. He’s doing the same thing you are. He’s trying to make the best choices he can.’… Because of the Internet, man, I just feel for anybody who gets lambasted at that level. I want him to kick ass and I want everyone to love it and kind of eat their words.”
We’ll see! It does seem as if the knee-jerk negative reactions have greatly settled down in the weeks since the announcement was made. With the film still almost two years away, nearly anything could happen. With the exception that Batman will be in the film, very little else has been revealed.
So would Brolin have made a better Batman than Affleck? Or are you waiting to see how Ben does? Comment below!
Sources: Coming Soon, HuffingtonPost
