Best Batman?

[LilOne]

And who do you think SHOULD play The Dark Knight? eh?

Edited October 23, 2011 by Mr. Hakujin
Updated poll options, ya know, cuz time marches on

[Reverend Jax]

I voted for West, but if he was a choice, I would have voted for the only man to do Batman justice off the comic pages: Kevin Conroy, the voice of Batman in all the 90's animated series. Ask me who my favorite Joker is. I'll give you a clue, it's the same as my choice for best Luke Skywalker ;)

[BigChiefSlapaho]

I think Michael Keaton had the personality & the acting ability, while Val Kilmer had the physical believability of being able to do all that acrobatic & fighting stuff.  I think Clooney would be good if he didn't make it seem like an episode of ER.

[JunkerSeed]

I thought Keaton was the best I've seen yet.  He's not teh absolute perfect pick, but he worked out very well, I think.  I guess Clooney and Kilmer did as well as they could with really shitty movies.  I have very high hopes for whatever unknown guy was chosen for the next Batman.  I trust this director's decisions.

[Reverend Jax]

Haven't heard anything about the one since it was very early in pre-production. Is it still going to be an early days of batman movie? What's some of the basic info on it?

[JunkerSeed]

Yeah, it's based on Frank Miller's great comic, Year One.  It's gonna be directed by Darren Aronofsky(Pi, Requiem for a Dream), one of my favorite new directors, which is why I have really high hopes for it.  Him and frank miller are writing the screenplay too.  Aronofsky has said that it's going to be very different from all of the other batman movies and very different from the year one book.  (Dont' worry though, because miller IS co-writing the screenplay.)  I said before that the next batman would be an unknown, but actually I don't think he's been mentioned, as it's so early in production.  So I guess I just assumed he'd be unknown, that's what I'd go for, but I still trust this director, he could probably make it work no matter who is chosen.

[The NZA]

I'm fuckin hyped bout that one, Junker's boy Arnousky might just do it right.  Granted, so far he's only done brilliant, dark, fucked up movies, but maybe he'll bring that over rather than readin Shumaker's guide to comic butchery or somethin.

..I demand to know why Bruce Campbell aint on this list! In lieu of him, im goin with Keaton, 'cause he did it right.  Nothin against Kilmer, Chiefy has his points bout him, but Keaton played the role darker.

PS I like Clooney, but that's a far more brain dead vote.

[Reverend Jax]

Wouldn't a Year One movie require a young Bruce Wayne? Isn't Keaton old? No make-up in the world could make Keaton look enough. I think we all need to join hands at some point and pray it's not Ben Affleck.

[LilOne]

Yeah, IC, I agree on the Clooney was a ill considered choice. I know I must have seen that movie & parts of it on cable about a million times, but I can never remember very much of it... it never caught my interest.  

 

Did Bruce Campbell ever play Batman? Shoot, that'd be funny as heck!  :0

[Reverend Jax]

Bruce Campell is great, but as Batman? What about Clancy Brown? He's a big fella. But seriously, for a Year One movie, we'd need a young Batman. I can't really think of anyone. Chris Klein has alot of things right (build-wise), but too many things wrong (baby-face, nice guy demenor), but noone else is even coming close in my mind. Maybe I need to give it more thought. So long as it's not Ben Affleck...

[soldier of fortune]

Has to be Michael Keaton!! No other actor can compare to him as the Dark Knight, although i think Bruce Campbell would do a good job!!

[Reverend Jax]

Dude, let me lay this out for you mathematically:

 

 

1.) New Batman Movie = Year One

2.) Year One = Early Days of Batman

3.) Early Days of Batman = Batman/Bruce Wayne will be young

4.) Batman/Bruce Wayne will be young + Accurate portrayal of age = Batman must be portrayed by a young actor

5.) Michael Keaton = Old

6.) Accurate protrayal of Batman != Michael Keaton

"!=" means 'not equal to'

 

Besides, even if this wasn't a Year One movie, Keaton has turned down two Batfilms, if he was up to doing it, it would have happened.

[JunkerSeed]

If it were up to me, I'd pick an unknown.  People are gonna see the next batman no matter what, you don't need a big star to get people in the door.  A good relatively unknown actor that looks the part would be perfect.

[Reverend Jax]

I liked the batman original angle in The Mask Of The Phantasm, but I'm a sucker for everything Bruce Timm has done.

[King of Snake]

Dude, let me lay this out for you mathematically:

 

SoF's choice for Year One Batman != Michael Keaton  "!=" means 'not equal to'

SoF's vote for best Batman = Michael Keaton

Best Batman + Speculative casting of Y1 = both still open topics for comment, even if you've said your piece

Jumping to conclusions and trying to belittle other members = being a dick

Jumping to conclusions and trying to belittle SoF = ashtray broken over the head!!  :sly:

[King of Snake]

As for best, it has to be Keaton, but then I voted for him in the best comics casting thread. Kilmer and Clooney were both shit but with some fairness to them the scripts nosedived in quality as the makers turned the franchise into kids films.

 

I am intrigued by Year One, I put a lot of trust in Aronofsky and Miller, I'm a big fan of both their work. Could anyone tell me what Year One is about (comic anyway), is there a comic-style villain or is it just pin-stripe mobsters and the like? And for when I think about casting, how old is Bruce Wayne in it?

 

As for casting by build I don't think that matters, Keaton wasn't a perfect fit but he made the part his own. And Tobey Maguire was able to bulk up for Spidey so don't get bogged down by suggestions of Chris Klein.

[soldier of fortune]

Cheers KoS for covering my back there , maybe its my fault for not properly reading the thread, but there is no doubt that should this Jacks Meandering Bollacks come into hondos, it won't be an ashtray that will split his head like an egg, it will be something far worse, maybe a keg o' beer, stool, or even my baseball bat with nails in it ("Betty") that will inflict the damage.

 

So to quote the King of Lager Louts, Liam Gallagher, "Come and have a go, if you think you're hard enough!!"  :sly:

 

"You can count, on me waiting for you in the parking lot!!"

[Reverend Jax]

Sorry, SoF. We have been dicussing Y1 for a few posts, and wihtout saying otherwise, I wrongfully assumed you meant keaton for a Y1 movie. Keaton was a fine batman. Being able to believable portray a superhero AND his/her usually mild mannered alter-ego isn't easy, adn Keaton did better than most ever could.

[Octopus]

I actually didn't like any of the actors that have played Batman... None of them really seemed to fit. I thought that the cartoon version was perfect, with that big powerful jaw, broad chest, deep voice...

 

(Eeep, it sounds like I'm getting all hot, doesn't it?  ??? )

[Reverend Jax]

That's why I still say Kevin Conroy is the best Batman, no one's done it completely right yet, but are least he did the one part he was responsible for right, the voice.

[The NZA]

Wait...who's Kevin Conroy/what's he been in?

[Reverend Jax]

Kevin Conroy's the voice on Batman in all the Bruce Timm animated series (Batman: The Animated Series; The Adventures Of Batman And Robin; Superman; Batman Beyond; and most recently, Justice League).

[Thelogan]

Yeah, it's based on Frank Miller's great comic, Year One.  It's gonna be directed by Darren Aronofsky(Pi, Requiem for a Dream), one of my favorite new directors, which is why I have really high hopes for it.  Him and frank miller are writing the screenplay too.  Aronofsky has said that it's going to be very different from all of the other batman movies and very different from the year one book.  (Dont' worry though, because miller IS co-writing the screenplay.)  I said before that the next batman would be an unknown, but actually I don't think he's been mentioned, as it's so early in production.  So I guess I just assumed he'd be unknown, that's what I'd go for, but I still trust this director, he could probably make it work no matter who is chosen.

 

Oh, those were the days. This woulda been so fucking cool.

Not that the Begins we got was a giant pile of shit or anything (you woulda swore Frank had something to do with it considering all the ninjas).

 

SO. I trust the votes have changed at this point?

 

Kevin Conroy is solid man, that dude is THE voice of Batman for me. And honestly, the voice is what Bale fucks up the most.

Edited October 21, 2011 by Thelogan

[alive she cried]

I seriously don't understand the hate for Bale's Batman voice. He's the only actor to clearly disguise his Bruce Wayne voice while in the suit.

[Thelogan]

Hate is too strong a word for what I feel. I would go with slightly irritated, and I would worry more about the bottom half of my face than my voice.