Josh Brolin recalls missing out on Batman role: “That would have been a fun deal”

Josh Brolin has revealed that he was in the running to play Batman in Zack Snyder’s DC films before the role ended up going to Ben Affleck.

• READ MORE: The Batman review: down in the dumps with Robert Pattinson’s dark knight

The actor – who already has an impressive comic book film resume, playing Thanos in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Cable in Deadpool 2 – discussed how he almost donned the mask of the caped crusader on a recent episode of the Happy Sad Confused podcast.

Calling the idea of taking on the role “interesting”, Brolin emphasised that he was eager to play Batman, had Snyder not decided to go in a different direction. “That was his decision – that wasn’t my decision,” Brolin explained.

The actor then shared a few details of what his portrayal of the superhero was supposed to look like following a discussion with Snyder. “It would have been the older, more raspy, for lack of a better word,” he said. “Honestly, that would have been a fun deal, and maybe I’ll do it when I’m 80.”

A number of previous Batman films have faced some sort of criticism, which is exactly why the role appealed to Brolin. “Something that is set up to not work at all, or to work flyingly – I like those odds,” he explained. “I like playing with those odds. I’m like, ‘Am I the guy who’s gonna make it all fail?’”

This discussion led him to bring up George Clooney’s take on the character in 1997’s often-panned Batman & Robin. Brolin said of the film’s critical response: “You talk to Clooney, and he’s still joking about it — and it wasn’t his fault.”

Affleck starred as Batman in the films Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice, Suicide Squad, Justice League, and Zack Snyder’s Justice League. His final turn as masked vigilante will be in the film The Flash, currently set for release on June 23, 2023.

The latest actor to take on the role of the caped crusader is Robert Pattinson in Matt Reeves’ The Batman, which is officially set to be made available to stream in the UK this week.

The latest DC film will be released on Premium Video on Demand from April 19 in the UK, after fans will be able to watch the film in the US on HBO Max from April 18.

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