Oliver Davis on the *other* bit of Batman vs. Superman casting news….
On Friday, the latest bit of casting news for the upcoming Batman vs. Superman was announced by its director, Zack Snyder. “Having Jesse [Eisenberg] in the role,” he said of the new Lex Luthor, “allows us to…take the character in some new and unexpected directions.” New and unexpected directions. Remember that. It’ll come up later.
People tweeted in uproar, others more wisely reserved judgement until they see the film itself. But there was another piece of casting news, one overshadowed by the Lexenberg announcement, and one that might just hint as to what these “new and unexpected directions” are: Jeremy Irons as Alfred Pennyworth.
Here’s what the director had to say on Irons’ casting:
As everyone knows, Alfred is Bruce Wayne’s most trusted friend, ally and mentor, a noble guardian and father figure. He is an absolutely critical element in the intricate infrastructure that allows Bruce Wayne to transform himself into Batman. It is an honor to have such an amazingly seasoned and gifted actor as Jeremy taking on the important role of the man who mentors and guides the guarded and nearly impervious façade that encapsulates Bruce Wayne.
Pennyworth, historically, has served to lighten the Dark Knight’s sombre tone. He can wisecrack, he can be sarcastic. In Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy, the director often deployed Michael Caine’s Alfred to cheer things up. Morgan Freeman’s Lucius Fox served a similar purpose, but Pennyworth is a far more important role. He is Wayne’s heart, his conscience, even sometimes his father. Irons, however, is not famed for such warm emotions.
Instead, he is known for dark, complex roles. He played the tormented titular role in Kafka, and both identical twins in the psychological nightmare of Dead Ringers. He’s even the voice of Scar in The Lion King, for Jor-El’s sake. Of course, he’s a fine actor, and thus more than capable of acting, so saying that he can’t portray Pennyworth’s stereotypical emotional range is very short-sighted. The acting baggage Irons carries, however, should not be ignored.
It’s known as Star Theory, when actors develop a single persona through the roles they choose. This usually applies to marquee names, like John Wayne or Brad Pitt, but it can creep into more established character actors, too. Even though Star Theory is a direct contradiction to the ‘character actor’ concept (they aim not to be recognised), Judi Dench, for instance, often brings a motherly gravitas. Your interpretation of her performance in Philomena is influenced by her M in Skyfall. Your fear of Ralph Fiennes’ Voldermort is subconsciously informed by his Dolarhyde in Red Dragon. And, for our topic at hand, Jeremy Irons will forever be, in some small degree, Hans Gruber’s brother.
| Why do we die hard, Mr Wayne? |
Irons will inevitably bring his public perception to Pennyworth, one which he can either act with or against. He is capable of both. But in respects to this casting decision, his baggage cannot be ignored.
The other issue of Irons’ casting, besides his established acting persona, is his age; and more specifically, the gap between himself and the new Bruce Wayne, Ben Affleck.
Christian Bale was 31 when he first played Batman. Michael Caine, opposite him as Alfred Pennyworth, was 71. It’s a 40 year difference.
Batman (1989) to Batman & Robin (1997) had three different actors portray the title role – Michael Keaton (38 when he donned the cowl), Val Kilmer (36) and George Clooney (also 36). All four movies, however, saw Pennyworth portrayed by the same actor, Michael Gough. The gaps in age between Gough and each different Batman were 35, 43 and 45 years, respectively.
When filming commences on Batman vs. Superman, Ben Affleck will be 41 – only three years older than when Keaton first played the role (which is why the argument about Affleck being too old is misinformed). Jeremy Irons will be 65 on the first day of shooting. That’s a 24 year age gap – 11 years smaller than any Bruce/Alfred pairing in the last four decades (there was a 25 year gap between Adam West’s Bruce and Alan Napier’s Pennyworth back in the 1966 Batman television series, which is still a year more than the new duo).
This is where the whole “new and unexpected directions” thing comes in. The two central facets of Jeremy Irons’ casting – his acting baggage and his age – suggest a more youthful, involved Alfred.
Geoff Johns wrote a wonderful graphic novel two years back, retelling the Batman origin story in a world more grounded in realism. It was called Batman: Earth One, and Alfred’s character was a retired British Intelligence agent. He was handy with a shotgun, frequently clashed with Bruce on the use of lethal force, and just so happens to look like Jeremy Irons with a beard.
The Pennyworth of Batman vs. Superman could be a reinvention of the character, an ass-kicker rather than a benign butler. Make way (potentially) for Irons Man.
Oliver Davis
Originally published February 1, 2014. Updated April 11, 2018.
