The Batman is coming and I couldn’t be more excited. Robert Pattinson will be taking the cowl in Matt Reeves’ more down to earth gritty version of the character. And with a new take on Bruce Wayne/Batman, that also means that we’ll get an all new supporting cast of characters. Some awesome actors were already announced and in the teaser trailer, including Jeffrey Wright as James Gordon, Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth, and Colin Farrell as Oswald Cobblepot, but Batman has such a rich cast of supporting characters so I’,m hoping we will see a lot more familiar faces from the comics. And with rumors that The Batman is the first movie in a new trilogy, Reeves’ will have time to flesh out Gotham City and all of its supporting players.

It is time to see Vicky Vale again! She was portrayed memorably by Kim Basinger in Batman ’89, but sadly was underused when she didn’t return for any of the sequels. With Batman rumored to be in his second year, it would make sense for one of Gotham City’s best journalists to be on the case. I like the idea of Vale being older than Bruce, so Naomi Watts would add a new layer to the character while still being able to have a great chemistry and back and forth with Pattinson’s Bruce Wayne.

A gritty reinvention also offers the chance to bring new life into Dick Greyson/Robin/Nightwing. Zac Efron looks the part, and I’m shocked that he hasn’t been a superhero yet. Sure, Pattinson is only a year older than Efron, but I don’t think Bruce being a kid’s ward and endangering him by training him to be Robin works in a more realistic take on the characters. So why not make them partners? Both are forged by tragedy, but Wayne has the resources that Greyson needs. I really hope that we see some of the Batman Family in the new movies. 

And the same goes for Stephanie Brown. Emma Stone looks the part and showed in Cruella that she can hold her own. Carmine Falcone, portrayed by John Turturro, has been confirmed for The Batman, so we know the mob ties into whatever story is unfolding. So adding a vengeful Brown as Spoiler would fit right in. Is she a friend or a foe? Does she take things too far causing her to come face to face with Batman and/or Nightwing? 

Another way to expand the family would be to introduce Luke Fox, aka Batwing. Derek Luke looks the part and is a fantastic actor. I’m honestly tired of the same supporting casts and characters series to series, so I think I’d just replace Lucius Fox with Luke. Morgan Freeman was brilliant as Fox, so why rehash the character or arc. Luke Fox could be Bruce’s right hand at Wayne Corp, maybe he is in on Bruce’s secret and makes sure he is well equipped and has backup ready in the form of Batwing.  

With Andy Serkis as Alfred, maybe it is a good time to introduce his daughter, special agent Penny Pennyworth, and would would be better to portray her than Imogen Poots? This vibes well with a younger Batman Family and gives Alfred a little more to do. Not only is the man he loves as a son putting his life in danger every night, but his estranged daughter is as well.  

What supporting characters would you like to see in The Batman and it’s sequels?

In Part 1 of my Justice League Movie Suggestions we talked about Story, Villains, Creative, and Personnel. Now lets talk about Casting the Big Three! A film of this magnitude requires a cast that will be able to carry the film, much like Marvel’s The Avengers. This no time to start messing around with the characters and just throwing in people for the hell of it and the star power. I remember years ago when George Miller came to close to making what was being called Justice League: Mortal. He had apparently cast a bunch of, at that time, unknowns in every role. Now with some of the roles I could agree an unknown would be a good way to go, but asking a cast of complete unknowns to carry a film like this would be unfair. Casting one or two and then surround them with better known people has been a formula that has proven to work in the past. Below are a few suggestions for  the big guns of the Justice League.

Superman/Clark Kent
Most Likely Choice: Hell to me this is no contest, it has to be Henry Cavill from next years Man Of Steel. Warner Brothers would be foolish not to use that film to launch their new DC universe, but with it being produced by Chris Nolan there is a chance that they may keep the whole one hero, one universe. I think that this would be a bad move. While it worked on Nolan’s Batman trilogy because Batman has no super powers and it felt like a real world that they created. This is Superman, the story is so more universal. I think Cavill will be there come the start of production.

The only other person I could see them turning to would be Joe Manganiello from True Blood. He has tested for the role before and apparently came very close to winning the role. It seems likely that if Warner Brothers were to replace Cavill for Justice League then they would turn to him. He has the size and actin chops to excel in the role. But I really do think Cavill is the safe bet here.

Batman/Bruce Wayne
The “Robert Downey Jr” Choice: By this I mean an actor who’s been in the spotlight at the top and has suffered a steep decline attributed to either poor film choices or some sort of scandal. This wasn’t actually my personal choice, but I could see it if it happened and that person is Colin Farrell. I think he has the look of Bruce Wayne and could pull of the suave playboy image. I’ve never seen much of his work in darker roles as he always seems to play the hero roles and that could work to his advantage. I actually do like Farrell as an actor. The 2008 film Pride And Glory where he played a corrupt NYPD officer in a family of cops really showcased his talent. He was almost cast as Batman in Wolfgang Petersen’s aborted Batman Vs Superman, so again Warner Brothers must like something about him. That script made it online and I did get to read it and I could really see where they were coming fro. I could really see Farrell in the role at the time.

Another actor I could see in the role who would rock it would be Mad Men star Jon Hamm. His career doesn’t need much of a boost, but his only main exposure is television right now. He has had very few movie roles and Justice League could be the one that makes him the next George Clooney. No, not in the sense of being a bad Batman, but in the sense of being the next television star to make the transition to Hollywood A-List movie star with ease.

Wonder Woman/Diana Prince
The Popular Choices: MMA star Gina Carano just burst onto the film scene in the action flick Haywire, which has led to a lot of fans calling for the WB to sign her to don the bullet proof bracelets. Personally I love the choice, Haywire was a fun action flick and she did a lot of her own stunts and fight scenes. I think she would fit well in an ensemble and possibly lead to her being one of the breakout stars of the film.

Another choice I could get behind would be Castle star Stana Katic. I don’t know what it is about her, but I just could totally see her as Wonder Woman. She has the look and the skills to portray an Amazon princess. I would love to see Wonder Woman have a bit more of a feisty side to her like in the new Justice League comics, but she still needs to have that authority of a warrior about her. That’s why I think Carano would probably be the better choice.

In Part 3 of our Justice League Movie Suggestions I’d take a look at casting Green Lantern, Flash, and Aquaman!