Listen, at this point in time with the DC Cinematic Universe, it’s really hard to get me to care about anything not called Wonder Woman. However, if the rumors are to be believed and Oscar Isaac is really joining the cast of the new Batman movie, I might find it in my bitter heart to care about the Bat again, because I would do literally anything to see Isaac take on the mantle of the Caped Crusader himself and shake up the DC films with some truly awesome casting.
It’s likely, however, that Isaac is playing a villain. Personally, I think he’d make a killer Riddler or Two-Face, and he’s got the charm and menace to make even Batman’s campiest villains seem realistic. His campy yet creepy turn as the predatory Blue Jones in Sucker Punch proves that he’d make a perfect comic book villain given the right material; he sure did try in X-Men: Apocalypse, but he needs a proper role that actually has meat and motivation, not just vague plans of world domination.
That’s why he’d make a stellar Harvey Dent; he could take the tragedy of Dent’s fall and give it pathos while still having a blast hamming it up as his more wicked personality.
But I’m hoping he gets the role of the Bat himself. Bruce Wayne needs an actor playing him who can handle the meatier bits of the material. Batman is a complicated character to get right because too often we see an idealized masculine version of him. He punches the bad guys and gets angry about his parents’ demise and shuts people out because he’s a loner who doesn’t play well with others; that’s not even the right adaptation of Batman. Batman is most famous for his plethora of sidekicks and allies — they’re called the Bat family for a reason. There’s Jim Gordon and his heroic daughter Barbara, a.k.a. Batgirl. There’s Robins aplenty. Batwoman. Catwoman on occasion. Renee Montoya. Alfred. Batman isn’t the macho loner. He’s a man who lost his family and built a new one as he tried to build a better world.
Isaac has already proved he plays a great hero with his turn as Poe Dameron in Star Wars. If the writers turn Batman into more like his comics’ self, Isaac practically has his reel primed and ready to go. He’d bring a vulnerability to the role that many other Batman players have lacked, as well as a courage that he displays in his nuanced performances. He can crack wise with the best of them, but he also can sell even the cheesiest heroic dialogue like a pro. Who else could have sold “as long as there’s light we’ve still got a chance” as well as Isaac did in The Force Awakens? No one, that’s who.
The problem is is that Isaac will need writing to match his gifts. He deserves better than a male power fantasy set against the backdrop of Gotham. He needs someone who gets what makes the Bat tick, and as a result, he could deliver the best performance we’ve seen in the DC franchise. Isaac has star power, and he can make people who’ve long written off DC take a second glance. Warner Bros. needs to give him the chance he deserves, as well as the script he deserves.
Of course, this could all be hearsay; it’s very likely that DC might be considering him for a different role. But my hopes are on him as Bruce Wayne, because he is the hero we deserve and need. Let’s hope Warner Bros. feels the same way.
Please be Batman.
Please be Batman.
Please be Batman.
Please be Batman.
Please be Batman.
Please be Batman.
Please be Batman.
Please be Batman.
Please be Batman.
Please be Batman.
Please be Batman.
Please be Batman.
Please be Batman.
Please be Batman.
Please be Batman. https://t.co/zaAyEehRgH— Laura (@lsirikul) August 26, 2018
(via CinemaBlend; image: Lucasfilm/Disney)
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