WhileJosh Brolinhas made a splash in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, he came very close to becoming one of the DCEU’s most popular superheroes as well. The actor was considered for the role of Bruce Wayne inBatman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, the crossover film that served as a follow-up to Zack Snyder’sMan of Steel.Henry Cavill was set to reprise his role as Superman for the crossover, while Snyder also had the privilege of recruiting a newBatmanto serve as the DCEU’s Dark Knight.We know now that Ben Affleck was ultimately cast as Batman, going on to reprise the role forJustice Leagueand the upcoming movieThe Flash. Before Batfleck came to be, Brolin was under consideration by Snyder for the part. As Brolin reveals in a new interview with theHappy Sad Confusedpodcast, he didn’t turn the role down, as Snyder made the call to go with Affleck. Brolin admits he was excited about the potential challenge of trying to create a new Batman work and hasn’t totally given up on the possibility of playing an older Bruce Wayne someday.
“That was interesting to me. That was his decision. That wasn’t my decision. That was his decision. Again, because, like 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?’ By the way, who I didn’t think was bad, but you know, you talk to Clooney and he’s still joking about it. And it wasn’t his fault! He loves the nipple joke and that was all Joel. But, you know, he didn’t do anything wrong. Because, again, that was beforeDeadpool 2. It would have been the older, more raspy, for lack of a better word… Honestly, that would have been a fun deal, and maybe I’ll do it when I’m 80.”
Related:These Actors Were Almost Cast as Batman
Josh Brolin Starts Filming Dune: Part Two This Summer
Josh Brolin has done well enough without getting the role of Batman. He has become one of the most well-known parts of the MCU as the dastardly Thanos from theAvengersmovies. That’s in addition to his role as Cable inDeadpool 2, giving him another memorable Marvel role. More recently, Brolin appeared in Denis Villeneuve’sDune: Part One, and he’s on board to return for the upcoming sequel. Brolin recently revealed thatDune: Part Twowill shoot in July. As recently explained onLive with Kelly and Ryan:
“We start in July, and now is the time. I was with Javier at the Oscars, and we showed each other each other’s paunches, and I said, ‘We have to get ready very quickly.'”
Dune: Part Twois scheduled to be released on Jul 22, 2025. Meanwhile, Ben Affleck will say farewell to the Batman role that was nearly acquired by Brolin whenThe Flashhits movie theater screens on June 18, 2025.
