Batman Contenders Reportedly Include Gosling and Brolin

Two of the stars of Gangster Squad are reportedly under consideration to play the Dark Knight in Warners' planned Superman/Batman movie.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Gangster Squad co-stars Josh Brolin and Ryan Gosling are both said to be among the small group of actors the studio is looking at for the role of Batman. Brolin, in particular, is said to be the frontrunner to play Batman, who is expected to be anywhere from his mid-30s to 40s in this incarnation. Brolin is 46, Gosling is 32.

Brolin has already played one DC Comics hero for Warner Bros. when he starred in their western flop Jonah Hex. Latino-Review suspects one big reason why Brolin won't do it is because he recently divorced Diane Lane, who played Martha Kent in Man of Steel, and while they likely wouldn't have any scenes together in the sequel they could still encounter each other at press junkets and premieres.

Matthew Goode as Ozymandias in Watchmen.

(Latino-Review also threw cold water on people's hopes for Jon Hamm and Jim Caviezel playing Batman, citing their respective TV show obligations conflicting with the Batman vs. Superman schedule.)

Brolin and Gosling aren't the only actors reportedly under consideration. THR adds that Matthew Goode, who starred in Watchmen for Batman/Superman director Zack Snyder, is also on the list as are Richard Armitage (Thorin in The Hobbit, a Warners release), Max Martini (the Aussie dad/jaeger pilot in Warners' Pacific Rim) , and True Blood's Joe Manganiello (who was also a contender for the Superman role in Man of Steel). Manganiello also played Flash Thompson in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man.

Joe Manganiello, Richard Armitage, and Max Martini.

A recent report, echoed by Latino-Review, adds that Gerard Butler, who starred in Snyder's 300, may also be in the running to play Batman.

"The script is still being written, so nothing has been submitted formally to reps and actors. Two, according to sources, director Zack Snyder is only just beginning to look at actors," THR cautioned. It's also entirely possible none of the actors will end up landing the role. "Casting is likely to solidify in the coming weeks as Warner Bros wants to shoot the movie in early 2014 for a 2015 release."

Source : feeds[dot]ign[dot]com