Marvel star Josh Brolin opens up about losing Batman role

Marvel star Josh Brolin is already well known in superhero realms for his roles in the MCU, having earned fans' praise for his portrayals of Thanos in the Avengers movies and Cable in Deadpool 2.

Had things gone a little differently, however, comic book fans could have also seen him don the Batman cowl for a stint as the Caped Crusader, as Brolin had once been in the running to play Batman in Zack Snyder's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

While Ben Affleck stepped into the role instead – and Brolin has previously shared that there is no bad blood between the actors – the star recently reflected on what it would have been like to take on the part, saying it "would have been a fun deal".

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Speaking of the prospect of playing Batman on the Happy Sad Confused podcast recently, Brolin shared that he was interested in the project because it involved a certain level of risk, and added that it was director Zack Snyder's decision to go in a different direction.

"That was interesting to me," Brolin said. "Again, because something that is set up to not work at all, or to work flyingly — I like those odds. I like playing with those odds. I'm like, 'Am I the guy who's gonna make it all fail?'

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"I didn't think [he] was bad, but you talk to Clooney and he's still talking about it – and it wasn't his fault," he continued, noting Clooney's much-discussed take on the character in '90s movie Batman & Robin.

"That was before Deadpool 2, it would have been the older, more raspy [version] for lack of a better word... Honestly, that would have been a fun deal, and maybe I'll do it when I'm 80."

josh brolin pictured outside the jimmy kimmel live studio

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Of course, the Batman role ultimately went to Ben Affleck, who went on to play Batman again across a number of Worlds of DC projects and is set to make his final appearance as Batman in The Flash.

While Affleck never starred as Batman in a solo film, Robert Pattinson recently stepped into the role for another new take on the superhero, starring alongside Paul Dano and Zoë Kravitz in Matt Reeves' The Batman.

The Batman is now playing in US and UK cinemas. The movie's 4K Blu-ray, standard Blu-ray and DVD are available for pre-order now ahead of a June 13, 2022 release.