Jensen Ackles Transforms into Batman in New Concept Art That Will Silence a Lot of Ben Affleck Fanatics
As many projects are under development, it looks like the superhero genre is becoming the most popular genre in the entertainment industry. The co-CEO of DC Studios, James Gunn, recently revealed the new line-up of projects that will be in the Gods and Monsters phase. Among these, The Brave and the Bold will introduce a new Batman, and fans wonder who will be the Dark Knight.
Recently, many promotional concept art and trailers featuring Supernatural and The Boys star Jensen Ackles as Batman have gone viral, considering him a potential contender for the role that Ben Affleck once portrayed.
Will Jensen Ackles Be Suitable to Portray Batman in the DCU?
The upcoming Batman: The Brave and the Bold will show the bond between Batman and his teenage son, Damian Wayne, aka Robin. It will be a new take on the Batman universe as it will add paternal responsibility to an older Bruce Wayne, who has to be both a father and a crime fighter. The Flash’s director, Andy Muschietti, is set to direct the movie. The inclusion of Damian Wayne can be seen as the first step to introducing the rest of the Bat family.
Supernatural star Jensen Ackles has been a fan-made choice to take on Batman for a long time. He has been featured in fan-made concept art that shows his popularity for the role. His recent performance as Soldier Boy in The Boys showed his capacity for portraying troubled antiheroes, which is needed for portraying Bruce Wayne in a way.
Ackles’ connection to Batman goes back to 2010 when he voiced Red Hood in Batman: Under the Red Hood. Recently, he voiced Bruce Wayne in the animated Batman: The Long Halloween.
Besides these, he has voiced Batman in six different projects. Moreover, he is not new to portraying childhood trauma with his characters. This background, together with his great screen presence and physique, makes Ackles a potential candidate for the role.
The DCEU faced a lot of mixed opinions when the studio picked Ben Affleck as Batman. While his performances in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League were based on a darker, more battle-weary Batman, his character was affected due to poor writing and uncertain direction.
On the other hand, the idea of Jensen Ackles being drawn as Batman has been welcomed so far. Ackles has the potential to bring a more rugged look to Batman. He might be able to put an interesting spin on the Batman character while also keeping some of the traits of Affleck.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Affleck said that he doesn’t want to get involved in James Gunn’s direction for the DCU, though he respects him. This decreases the chances of him putting the cape on again. However, the idea of Jensen Ackles portraying this role has caused quite a stir. From a combination of his experience, fan base, and screen presence, Ackles is a worthy successor.
Glen Powell and Jake Gyllenhaal as Potential Contenders for Batman
As James Gunn and Peter Safran reshape the DC Universe, two prominent actors, Glen Powell and Jake Gyllenhaal, have shown their interest in becoming the new Batman in the upcoming Batman: The Brave and the Bold.
The Top Gun: Maverick and Anyone But You fame Powell confessed in a GQ interview about his affection for Batman and gave his take on the character, if he ever portrays it.
I was always a Batman guy. I would have a wild take on Batman. It definitely would not be like a Matt Reeves tone – it’d probably be closer to [Michael] Keaton.
The actor has also played a small cameo in The Dark Knight Rises as Trader #1. Besides him, Jake Gyllenhaal considers himself fortunate to become Batman in the future. During an interview on Screen Rant, Gyllenhaal describes very passionately the process of playing such iconic roles. He said,
Oh, man. That’s a classic. It’s an honor. Speaking of playing roles that other incredible actors have played in the past, to me actually roles that other incredible actors have played in the past, which, to me, actually, when I think about it, I’m going to play Iago in Othello with Denzel Washington, and I think about like the history of actors that have played that role throughout time, and I’m intimidated by that.
So that’s the first level. That’s what I’m working on right now. But of course. It would be an honor always. Those types of things and those roles are classics.
Moreover, The Dark Knight writer David S. Goyer also revealed on the Happy Sad Confused podcast that he advocated for Gyllenhaal for the role in Batman Begins.
Besides this, Gyllenhaal even confirmed in an interview with Yahoo Entertainment that he was considered for Tobey Maguire’s role in Spider-Man. So, Gyllenhaal’s statement carries much weight, as he was once considered for both Batman and Spider-Man roles.
