When it comes to an enduring icon such as Batman, pretty much everybody has a favorite actor in mind whenever the Caped Crusader comes up in conversation. And that’s understandable, because this character has been consistently recast since first appearing on the silver screen all the way back in 1943, when Louis Wilson donned cape and floppy cowl.
Like any of us, those in the entertainment industry have their personal preferences as well. For some, they may favor whichever gentleman first introduced them to the brooding vigilante, or someone else swayed them in a different direction with their respective movie.
Recently weighing in on the situation was that of Pennyworth star Jack Bannon, who confessed the following while speaking with Variety:
“I think, generationally, for me, Christian Bale. […] Those films for me, ’cause I didn’t read comics growing up, they were the films… I was a bit young for the Michael Keaton ones, but I have since watched them and he’s also brilliant.”
In my view, The Dark Knight Trilogy remains the gold standard for what comic book movies can achieve, so I can’t argue with his choice of Bale. Then again, Keaton was pretty solid in his day.
Personally, I’m not sure I can choose one single actor at this point because they’ve all brought something valuable to the table. But if I had to narrow it down, Christian Bale, Ben Affleck, Michael Keaton and Adam West are at the top of my own list; I’m just not sure where to place them any longer.
According to a recent poll, Americans ranked the live action Dark Knights as follows: Christian Bale, Michael Keaton, George Clooney, Ben Affleck, Val Kilmer. Yeah, there were some surprises there, but this is all subjective when you get down to it.
To see how the Batman groundwork was laid, check out Pennyworth on Epix.