Might We Soon be Seeing a Ryan Reynolds Batman Movie?

A rumor has cropped up in recent months that when Batman is inevitably rebooted in the next few years, Ryan Reynolds may play the Caped Crusader. The rumor also states that the film would be directed by Duncan Jones, son of David Bowie and director of the excellent 2009 science fiction film Moon, featuring an amazing performance by Sam Rockwell.

It appears that a Ryan Reynolds Batman franchise is probably just a hoax or an April Fool’s Joke, but that doesn’t mean that it can’t or won’t happen. So, I would like to speculate on how I think Ryan Reynolds work work in this iconic role.

What Would a Ryan Reynolds Batman Film Be Like?

A lot of this would have much more to do with the writer or writers and the director of the next Batman than it would Reynolds himself. If WB decides to go ahead with a Ryan Reynolds Batman film, they will probably go with a unique spin we haven’t seen before.

We’ve seen three distinct visions of Batman since 1989:

First we had Tim Burton’s signature gothic style in 1989′s megahit Batman and its even more gothic and weirder 1992 sequel Batman Returns. Burton borrowed heavily from Frank Miller’s groundbreaking Dark Knight comics, and the character was much darker than  he was portrayed in the campy 1960′s TV show.

Both films starred Michael Keaton. There was much trepidation among the fanboy community about him taking on the role. They felt he was just a comedic actor, and was too small to play Batman. The rubberized suit took care of any size issues, and Keaton proved to be a great choice for the brooding superhero. For my money, Keaton is the best Batman ever.

In 1995, Joel Schumacher came onboard the franchise. Schumacher brought day-glo and bat nipples to Gotham City for Batman Forever. Val Kilmer was Schumacher’s Bruce Wayne/Batman. Kilmer is a great actor, and did a fine job, but he was somewhat overshadowed by Jim Carrey as The Riddler and Tommy Lee Jones as Two-Face. Batman Forever was another big hit.

Two years later, Schumacher was behind the camera once again to direct Batman & Robin. This time, George Clooney donned the cape and cowl. Fans were not happy with this one as it featured a lot of cheese with Alicia Silverstone as Batgirl and Arnold Schwarzenegger portraying Mr. Freeze. Clooney has been quoted as saying that he single handedly ruined Batman, but it wasn’t his fault. A bad script, bad casting, and poor direction were the culprits.

With the relative failure of Batman & Robin, Warner Brothers went in a different direction when it came time to release another movie. Director Christopher Nolan was brought on for Batman Begins with Christian Bale, and it is the most realistic take yet – more like a drama than a movie based on a comic book. The movie did well, and was followed by the box office Smash, The Dark Knight in 2008, also with Bale in the lead. Nolan made it a trilogy with 2012′s The Dark Knight Rises.

Personally, Bale is my least favorite Batman. He’s a fine actor, but his ridiculous growl while in costume just doesn’t work for me.

So, that brings us to the possibility of  a Ryan Reynolds Batman movie.

I think Reynolds could do a great job with the part for several reasons:

1) He has tons of experience with comic book roles. He’s played Hannibal King in Blade 3 and Hal Jordan in Green Lantern, and Deadpool in the Wolverine movie. He has another comic book movie, R.I.P.D, upcoming and he’s been tied to a solo Deadpool project for years. He’s also been announced as the next Highlander, which isn’t based on a comic, but is a genre series.

2) He’s a good actor. Like Michael Keaton, many will think of him as a guy who mainly does comedies, but he’s had quite a few dramatic roles: Amityville, Smokin’ Aces, and Buried. Of course, sense he’s so good at comedy, Ryan Reynolds Batman could be infused with more humor than we’ve seen in the past.

3) He would have the look of Bruce Wayne/Batman. He’d be equally adept at portraying the playboy Bruce Wayne, and he’s in such great shape that they wouldn’t need to pad the batsuit to make him look muscular.

Of course, a lot of this, like any movie, depends on the director. A director like Duncan Jones would be a good choice because it’s unlikely he would make a cheesball movie.

So Will We See a Ryan Reynolds Batman Flick?

Who knows? A lot will depend on what direction the studio wants to go, but I honestly think Ryan Reynolds Batman has a nice ring to it.