Warner Bros. attempted to recreate the magic that Disney achieved with its Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, after just a few movies, the DCEU ended up with more critical busts that successes. However, films like Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and Shazam were bigger hits, showing that possibly focusing on solo movies rather than a shared universe might be the way to go.
Despite that, fans are interested in some form of continuity. Whether it is something like the Superman cameo at the end of Shazam or the continuation of Justice League cast members in their solo efforts, the DCEU is still plugging along. While DCEU started in 2013 with Man of Steel, here are five pre-DCEU actors we would love to see back, and five we hope stays far away.
GARY OLDMAN AS COMMISSIONER GORDON - YES
In the upcoming The Batman by Matt Reeves, the movie is undergoing a full cast overhaul. On top of Robert Pattinson taking on the role of Bruce Wayne/Batman, Jeffrey Wright is starring in the film as Commissioner Gordon. While Wright will be great as Gordon, Gary Oldman owned the role.
Even J.K. Simmons was great in the Ben Affleck Batman movies, but most critics point to Oldman as one of the top actors in the game today. He appeared in the three Christopher Nolan Dark Knight movies and would be a welcome addition back to the role.
TOMMY LEE JONES AS TWO-FACE - NO
Tommy Lee Jones made it clear that he hated playing the role of Two-Face. He also made it abundantly clear that he hated working with Jim Carrey, who portrayed Riddler. For an actor who takes his job as seriously as Jones, seeing him in the cartoony makeup in Batman Forever was not what most people expected.
In the Dark Knight trilogy, Aaron Eckhart took on the role and made it a white knight turned black after tragedy struck. He was a tragic tale of a man destroyed. Tommy Lee Jones’ portrayal was a live-action cartoon.
CHRISTIAN BALE AS BATMAN - YES
There is likely no chance ever to see Christian Bale back as Batman. He was part of the critically acclaimed Dark Knight Trilogy, and his work will forever be tied to what Christopher Nolan brought to the franchise. However, imagine Bale coming back as an older Batman in the DCEU.
From all accounts, Ben Affleck will never take on the cape and cowl again, and Matt Reeves is taking the Robert Pattinson movies outside of the official DCEU. With that said, with The CW showing the multiverse, wouldn’t it be nice to see Bale as Batman again?
KEVIN SPACEY AS LEX LUTHER - NO
There have been some excellent portrayals of Lex Luther over the years. In the ’80s, Gene Hackman made the character his own, even with a full head of hair. In the DCEU, there was Jesse Eisenberg, who also made it his own, much to the chagrin of critics and comic book fans everywhere.
In between was the most realistic version of Lex Luther ever — Kevin Spacey as the bald, rich, and arrogant man who hated Superman. However, as great as Spacey was as Luther, his recent trials and tribulations in real-life would hurt the promotion of any Superman movie, so it’s best he remains a part of the past in DC movies.
JOSEPH GORDON-LEVITT AS JOHN BLAKE - YES
There was a stinger at the end of The Dark Knight Rises that left many fans frustrated. It had the police detective John Blake finding the entrance to the Batcave. This was given even more importance to the story when he said that his legal first name was Robin.
Now, this isn’t Dick Grayson, but that seemed to be where Christopher Nolan was hinting the story could lead, with Robin becoming the new Batman. Having the actor back as John Blake might not be great, but having him take on the role of Nightwing could be a nice connector to the Dark Knight trilogy.
GEORGE CLOONEY AS BATMAN - NO
As mentioned before, Tommy Lee Jones hated his role in Batman Forever. Later, Chris O’Donnell was critical of his role as Robin, saying appearing in Batman & Robin was akin to acting in a toy commercial. Add George Clooney to that list, as Batman himself hated the movie.
Clooney has apologized to fans for her performance in Batman & Robin and pointed out that it was not, in any way, a good representation of DC Comics’ most beloved character. Never expect Clooney back in the role, as he learned his lesson the first time around.
DANNY DEVITO AS PENGUIN - YES
Colin Farrell will appear in The Batman as Penguin, something that will surely be a different take on the role. This follows the performance of Robin Lord Taylor in Gotham, as he made Penguin a fascinating and unique character on the TV series.
However, for an entire generation, there is only one Penguin, and that is Danny DeVito. For his part, DeVito said he was excited to see what Farrell does with the role that he made famous in Batman Returns. Even with DC going in a new direction with the mob boss, seeing DeVito returning to the character would be a fun, nostalgic moment.
SHAQUILLE O’NEAL AS STEEL - NO
In the ’90s, Kevin Smith and Tim Burton were planning on making a Superman movie. With Burton fresh off his two Batman movies and Smith a huge comic book fan, it seemed to be a sure thing. The film was going to be based on The Death of Superman, but then when Burton talked about Nic Cage as Superman, things took a strange turn.
The movie was never made, but a planned sequel to that movie was made. Steel was about one of the new Supermen that showed up after the death of the hero. However, Steel starred NBA star Shaquille O’Neal, and the movie ended up with a Rotten Tomatoes score of 12 percent.
CILLIAN MURPHY AS SCARECROW - YES
Cillian Murphy is one of those actors who doesn’t appear in enough movies. He is a chameleon actor who has shown up in everything from The Dark Knight trilogy as Scarecrow to the BBC period gangster series Peaky Blinders and has proven to be a master regardless of his role.
While one of the primary villains in Batman Begins, he was there in a secondary role in the second and third movies. It would be interesting to see Murphy return for another go as Jonathan Crane, although his reluctance to do films just for the payday might make it unlikely.
RYAN REYNOLDS AS GREEN LANTERN - NO
Ryan Reynolds wanted his Green Lantern movie to be a success. The DCEU had a lot riding on it, as well, since it was supposed to kickstart the franchise. However, bad reviews mixed with fans rejecting the adaptation caused Warner Bros. to stop and reboot the DCEU with Man of Steel.
Even Ryan Reynolds admits to the failure of his movie, making a post-credit scene in Deadpool 2 where his character shot Ryan Reynolds before he could accept the role. Reynolds has been a massive fan favorite as Deadpool, and it is best to leave his Green Lantern buried in the past.
