In his latest ‘State of the Genre’ column, Martin Deer discusses the recent rumour about Joseph Gordon-Levitt being lined up for the role of the Dark Knight in Warner Bros.’ Justice League movie…
Inevitably spoilers for The Dark Knight Rises are discussed here.
Boy, did the internet explode yesterday. If you avoided all forms of technology you probably missed the news that Joseph Gordon-Levitt was all-but confirmed to be cast as Batman in the Justice League movie due 2015. I’m going to assume you were a part of the 7 billion of us on this rock though and that you did.
Well yesterday evening – a mere few hours after the first report – Hollywood.com reported that Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s representatives had already denied this was the case. So what is happening here?
Wild, uncontrollable fan speculation. I admit, I fell for it too, instantly shouting heresy to anyone that would listen. This is not because Joseph Gordon-Levitt is an actor I don’t like – exactly the opposite, he’s a terrific actor – but because it just makes no sense.
Firstly, Nolan’s trilogy is finished and he’s walked away from his project and has asked Warner Bros. to leave it at that, a trilogy. Closed. Of course, as we know from recent weeks and months Warner Bros. are starting to go back on some of their word to Nolan; Man of Steel is no longer a stand alone franchise as it will be part of a larger Universe of DC heroes. So with that in mind, initially I believed this rumour, we all did. But there is one person who I think will honour Nolan’s wishes – Joseph Gordon-Levitt himself. JGL has stated previously he is quite picky with his roles, and only takes roles he really believes in. Justice League has the potential to be a bomb, a giant cheese bomb. But more than that, JGL has a working relationship with Nolan, and his films are some of the most anticipated in recent years. They’re a big draw. Given Nolan’s predilection for casting people he has worked with before, vs the Justice League, my money’s on JGL sticking with Nolan on this one.
Stepping back from my own bias against a Justice League movie there are fans of the team, and whether some of those want to see a Justice League movie or not when the movie is released they’ll likely still go see it to see all of their favourite heroes on screen and have some vested interest in it. Wouldn’t it be a little strange for the first Justice League movie to feature a Batman that isn’t Bruce Wayne? Doesn’t that kind of negate the whole draw of a Justice League film? Superman and Batman are undoubtedly the two biggest draws of the team – especially for the mainstream audience – but for fans – who will be the most vocal you can guarantee it – they want to see that dynamic between Batman and Superman, and between Batman and the rest of the League. But what makes the dynamic between Batman and the rest of the League so intriguing for fans is how Bruce Wayne relates to the other characters. Bruce Wayne and his initial distrust to all those super powered beings, not John Blake. From a business stand point, yes the mainstream audience will want to see more of John Blake and Warner Bros. would likely want to capitalise on the success of Nolan’s trilogy to make Justice League a hit – it’s a cheap move, but it’s business. However the reason they are making a Justice League movie is because there is a small section of fans shouting “we want a Justice League movie” – piss them off by having a Batman that isn’t Bruce Wayne under the cowl, well, they’re going to shout loud.
Well what if he’s playing Bruce Wayne you say? Well, that could happen, but from a marketing stand point that’s a harder sell. People will naturally think he’s John Blake. Look how many people thought Batman 1989 was connected to the Nolan series, the average cinema goer just isn’t as tuned in to reboots the way comic book fans are yet, and going immediately from playing one character in a franchise to another so closely related in such a short period of time (3 years) is going to play havoc with the mainstream movie goers cerebrum. So I don’t think that is happening.
Having been able to sleep on it all, given what we know I just don’t think it’s going to happen. Sure, Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s people could be denying it based on Warner Bros. requests, but I don’t think that is the case in this situation.
Time will tell of course, but I just don’t see Robin John Blake standing side by side with Henry Cavill.
Martin Deer
Holy Franchise, Batman! Bringing the Caped Crusader to the Screen – Available now via Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com
Originally published November 28, 2012. Updated December 13, 2019.
