Zack Snyder announced a Superman/Batman movie at Comic Con and since that momentous announcement, news has been flying that Snyder is consulting with Frank Miller, the writer/artist responsible for one of the Caped Crusader’s greatest stories, ‘The Dark Knight Returns’. This leads credence to later rumors that Batman in this movie would actually be a weathered veteran who will function as something of a mentor to Superman and other younger heroes.

Since the announcement, the names of nearly every leading man in Hollywood has been thrown around in association with the cape and cowl.  But bit by bit, most of those names have been cast aside, most recently Jon Hamm, the “Madmen” star whose television commitments would prevent him from filming this winter when the movie is scheduled to begin production.  These names are the most frequently mentioned as of now.

Josh Brolin, 46 —  Since gaining an Academy Award nomination in 2009 for Milk, the former child actor has been on something of a roll, especially at Warner Brothers where he has starred in another DC movie ‘Jonah Hex’ as well as ‘Gangster Squad’.  Unfortunately, both movies tanked.  He’s also attached to two upcoming projects ‘Quasimodo’ and ‘Crazy for the Storm’.  Not a WB project, but he also appears in Frank Miller’s adaptation of ‘Sin City: A Dame To Kill For’, so there’s a Frank connection as well.

Ryan Gosling, 32 — Which blows the whole older Batman thing out of the water.  Gosling is probably the most visible of the nominees, but tends to favor quirkier films to mainstream fare.  He was, however, attached to WB’s ‘Logan’s Run‘ remake for quite some time before dropping out.  Maybe he’s looking to expand into the action movie genre?

Joe Manganiello, 36  — Manganiello, famous for playing Alcide on ‘True Blood’ as well as getting naked in ‘Magic Mike’, was in the running for the role of Superman in ‘Man of Steel’, but lost out to Henry Cavill.  Perhaps his dark, brooding nature better suits the Caped Crusader.  Plus, you’ve seen his body right?  He’s certainly built like a super hero!  The one thing I can think of that might work against him is that his image can be seen as being too beefcake.

Richard Armitage, 41 — Best known in the US as Thorin Oakenshield in ‘The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey‘, he also has experience on the UK television series ‘Strike Back’.  But another Brit playing an American icon?  Hmmm…

Max Martini, 43 –Something of a character actor, Martini recently appeared in ‘Pacific Rim‘ as part of the father/son Jaeger pilot team and will appear again in this fall’s ‘Captain Phillips’.  He certainly has a “tough guy” vibe, but does he have enough gravitas to embody the Dark Knight?  (He does, however have the best name ever.)

Matthew Goode, 35 — Best known to genre fans as Ozymandias in Snyder’s stylized ‘Watchman’ adaptation, alas that’s about all Goode is known for.  He’s also the least physically imposing actor on the list.  This may work for a Neal Adams/70s Batman, who came across leaner than later depictions, but since Miller’s chunky take, most artists have followed suit and bulked the Bat up.

Of course, go to any science fiction/comic book website and you’ll see a different list of names, but these six appear to be the most commonly listed.

Of course, here’s a big, huge grain of salt.  Warner Brothers insists that they are not considering any actors yet as they don’t yet have a script.  No  word on Snyder and Miller having met, so we don’t know if the director has even figured out what he wants the movie to be about.  One source scoffs, “You might as well put Adam West in this list,” indicating that regardless of fan favorites, ultimately an actor has to serve the script properly and the choice may be another relatively little-known actor like Henry Cavill.  (A friend of mine on Facebook suggested bringing back Michael Keaton… too meta?)

Who would you like to see on the list?  And who on this list do you want to see scratched off?  Personally, I love Ryan Gosling and have seen every movie he’s been in, no matter how borderline they were, but I don’t think he’s right for Batman… or any super hero, honestly.  (I know some people want him for The Flash as well.)  What about you?  Comment below!