Since James Gunn announced his plans for the rebooted DCU Phase One (subtitled Gods and Monsters), fans have been especially looking forward to new Batman content. Enter: Batman: The Brave and the Bold, a live-action movie that shares a name with the beloved animated series that ran from 2008-2011. As soon as news of the film dropped, it led to plenty of excited lovers of Bruce Wayne to do some fan-casting online, and it seems that in the eyes of the fandom, an early frontrunner for the role is The Invisible Man and The Haunting of Hill House star Oliver Jackson-Cohen.
The prospect of Jackson-Cohen playing Batman is getting a lot of love on the DC_Cinematic subreddit thanks to his rugged good looks and the fact he’s around the right age to portray Gotham’s most famous superhero. Although he’s not a complete unknown, he is much less famous than the last two actors who were given the role, which could mean more opportunity for him to craft the character in a way that’s unique to him. However, some fans are holding that against him, pointing out that Jackson-Cohen might not have the star power to pull off such an iconic part. Add in the fact that by the time production rolls around, he’s likely to be 40, and there are some hiccups in this seemingly perfect casting.
The English actor certainly has the acting ability to excel as the Dark Knight, as shown by his complex and often mesmerizing performances in the Hill House anthologies. His turn in The Invisible Man as the titular character was also incredibly powerful, even though he only had a few lines, which further confirms his ability to play a part as multifaceted as Bruce Wayne. Whether or not he gets the role, it’s clear that he’s come a long way from his origins on the slightly trashy yet ever-engaging British soap Hollyoaks.
There are a few other names being bandied about on social media to play Batman in the upcoming film, from Jake Gyllenhaal to Jensen Ackles. But, for now, it seems like we won’t be getting a definitive answer on who’ll don the famous cape and mask for quite some time.
Another one of the more intriguing features of this new Batman film is the introduction of Damian Wayne, the estranged son of Batman. In the source material the film is based on, Damian ends up becoming Robin and helping his dad fight crime, so whomever is cast as him is likely to have a sizeable role. Given that the character could be anywhere from 10 to a teen (depending on how Gunn sees the film unfolding, and how closely he sticks to source material), there are a whole host of actors who could potentially play the part. With that all said, the role might even be taken by someone who’s completely unknown, given how young this Robin is supposed to be and how far away filming is.
In the comics, Damian is the son of Bruce Wayne and his occasional enemy and lover Talia al Guhl. As Talia is of East Asian heritage, this might be a rare opportunity for Gunn to blood in some minority talent — although some fans have already been making fun of the prospect of Gunn and the other DCU heads making a terrible casting choice.
Something else that Gunn has to navigate is the fact that the phrase Brave and the Bold has a long history in the DC Fandom, being a common description of the Justice League. The phrase is also the title of a comic book series (that’s been running with some small gaps since 1955), and the original content mostly involved crossover battles between various DC favorites. The animated Batman: The Brave and the Bold followed a similar format, with the Dark Knight often teaming up with his fellow heroes to save the day. As anybody who’s spent ten seconds online knows, comic book fandoms can be ruthless when it comes to deviating too heavily from tradition, so the Suicide Squad director will have to tread carefully.
With that all said, there’s no doubt that Gunn is highly aware of the title’s history, which also raises the prospect of seeing some cameos from heroes who haven’t made it into his Phase One reboot, like Wonder Woman and Aquaman. As exciting as that is, the only way to find out the answers to all of these questions, sadly, is to wait.