Josh Brolin Was Almost Snyder’s Batman

On the Happy Sad Confused podcast, he discussed his roles as Thanos in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Cable in Deadpool 2. After Zack Snyder decided on Ben Affleck for Batman in 2016's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Josh Brolin talked about how he had been in the running to play the superhero before the film's release.

“That was interesting to me,” Brolin responded when asked if he was interested in playing Batman. He went on to say that he would have been thrilled to take the role if Snyder had chosen to go in a different direction: “That was his decision — that wasn’t my decision. That was his decision.”

For the actor, who received an Oscar nomination for his performance in Milk, the job appealed to him since it involved taking a risk. In the words of Brolin, “Something that is set up to not work at all, or to work flyingly — I like those odds,” Brolin said. “I like playing with those odds. I’m like, ‘Am I the guy who’s gonna make it all fail?'”

Brolin brought up George Clooney's role in Batman & Robin, stating “You talk to Clooney, and he’s still joking about it — and it wasn’t his fault.”  in reference to the film's scathing reviews.

On the subject of playing Batman, Brolin, 54, revealed that discussions regarding the role began even before his work on Deadpool 2, which was released in May 2018. When discussing his Batman portrayal, he noted, “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.”

He has already spoken of how close he came to landing the coveted position. In 2018, Brolin told Comic Book Movie that all went well. At the moment, he added, “I’m really glad it didn’t happen. I haven’t thought twice about it.”

With The Flash planned for release on June 23, 2023, Ben Affleck will reprise his role as Batman.