Once upon a time, a Justice League film was in the works under the direction of George Miller. The film was called Justice League Mortal, and in addition to the rest of the core League, the film would have featured an entirely new Batman. The unknown actor pegged to play Bruce Wayne was some guy named Armie Hammer.
It was very confusing to follow this news right smack dab in the middle of the Bale-era of Batman. This guy was young, and… blonde. Of course, the film never panned out, and we have gotten very familiar with Armie Hammer over the years, who has given some excellent performances in films like The Social Network, and is receiving raves for his upcoming film Call Me By Your Name. So, years later, what does Hammer think of missing out on such an iconic role? Speaking to Vulture, the actor expresses relief:
“For a long time, I was like, ‘How great that could have been!’ As a 31-year-old who’s been through a lot since I was 19, I wouldn’t want to watch a 19-year-old Batman. I’d be like, ‘Who’s this spoiled rich kid who wants to play dress-up?… I used to be upset we didn’t get to do it, but everything happens exactly as it’s supposed to. I still have a lot of learning to do about this, and it’s a constant pursuit for me. If I had been that successful right out of the gate, I would have thought I already understood it all. I know that I wouldn’t have turned in a great performance, or even a good performance — it would have just been whatever. So I’m glad.”
Knowing the actor’s work now, it becomes easy to see him as Batman. Who knows? If Ben Affleck ultimately decides to pass on Matt Reeves’ upcoming The Batman trilogy, perhaps Armie can don the cowl after all (assuming he doesn’t end up as Green Lantern)?
In the meantime, Justice League opens this weekend with Ben Affleck suited up as The Dark Knight.
Fueled by his restored faith in humanity and inspired by Superman’s selfless act, Bruce Wayne enlists the help of his newfound ally, Diana Prince, to face an even greater enemy. Together, Batman and Wonder Woman work quickly to find and recruit a team of metahumans to stand against this newly awakened threat. But despite the formation of this unprecedented league of heroes—Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Cyborg and The Flash—it may already be too late to save the planet from an assault of catastrophic proportions.
Justice League will reunite Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice stars Henry Cavill as Superman, Ben Affleck as Batman, Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, Ray Fisher as Cyborg, Jason Momoa as Aquaman, Ezra Miller as The Flash, Amy Adams as Lois Lane, Jeremy Irons as Alfred Pennyworth, Diane Lane as Martha Kent, Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor, Connie Nielsen as Queen Hippolyta and Robin Wright as General Antiope alongside J.K. Simmons (Whiplash) as Commissioner Gordon, Amber Heard (The Danish Girl) as Mera, Willem Dafoe (Spider-Man) as Vulko, Kiersey Clemons (Dope) as Iris West, Ciaran Hinds (Game of Thrones) as Steppenwolf, and Julian Lewis Jones (Stella) and Michael McElhatton (Game of Thrones) in as-yet-unrevealed roles.
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Originally published November 16, 2017. Updated December 18, 2019.
