Josh Brolin defended George Clooney’s Batman

Josh Brolin, known for his roles as the tough comic book characters Cable in the Deadpool films and Thanos in the Avengers, recently shared a fascinating tidbit about his career. He revealed that he was close to being cast as Batman in Zack Snyder’s films, but ultimately, the role went to Ben Affleck. During his conversation on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Brolin described his vision for the character as an “older, more raspy” Batman, noting that Snyder seemed to want a middle-aged Bruce Wayne. Brolin joked that maybe he would take on the role when he’s 80!

Brolin also took a moment to defend George Clooney, who played Batman in the 1997 film Batman & Robin, often labeled as one of the worst Batman movies. Brolin remarked that Clooney wasn’t to blame for the film’s negative reception. He said, “I didn’t think he was bad at all,” and pointed out that Clooney often laughs off the criticism, especially the infamous jokes about the suit’s design that included those controversial bat nipples. Brolin emphasized that those choices were made by director Joel Schumacher, not Clooney, who, in his opinion, didn’t do anything wrong.

Both Clooney and Val Kilmer, who played Batman in Batman Forever, faced challenges due to the creative decisions made around them, like the design of the Batsuit and the campy portrayal of villains. This campy style was reminiscent of the 1960s Batman TV series starring Adam West but has since faded away. More recent filmmakers like Christopher Nolan, Zack Snyder, and Matt Reeves have shifted the tone of Gotham to something much darker and more serious.

Since missing out on the Batman role, Brolin has starred in several successful films, including Hail Caesar!, Only the Brave, Sicario: Day of the Soldado, Flag Day, and Dune, showcasing his versatility as an actor.