4. Future Batman Films
With talk of The Dark Knight Returns as an inspiration, the question of whether this film should use an old or young Bruce Wayne will inevitably be asked. However, as Snyder proposed at Comic-Con, Frank Millers work will only be used as a jumping off point most likely to show a rift between both characters rather than to showcase any firm adaptation. A younger Batman seems the most likely then, especially as it gives more of a chance for Goyer to re-develop the character away from the Dark Knight interpretation (which of course is half his own). Gosling is 33 at present, which seems a perfect age to completely reinvent Batman as a franchise. An older Batman would make for an interesting watch there is no doubt, but in practical terms, would casting an aged actor make logistical sense when Warner Bros are presumably planning at least two more films (Justice League and Batman Reboot) with this version of the character? If taken this way, then Gosling has to be frontrunner for the role, no doubt because the two other young actors who are hot in Hollywood at the moment are Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Tom Hardy. Yeah, you can see the messiness there. That essentially leaves Chris Pine, Bradley Cooper, and Channing Tatum as the only other mainstream alternatives, and for the style I have outlined, none really fit the bill. However, Jake Gyllenhaal is perhaps the dark horse in this race, coming close to the role for Batman Begins in 2005, but also because like Gosling, has no superhero credentials attached to his name as of yet.