The Search For Batman

If I ask you to picture Batman, who comes to mind?

Your options are plentiful — Batman’s been portrayed on screen since 1943. Maybe you grew up with Adam West in the '60s or Michael Keaton in the '90s. Your definitive Batman might be George Clooney, Val Kilmer, or Christian Bale. How did you feel about Ben Affleck or Robert Pattinson?

And these are just some of the live-action portrayals of Batman — maybe the voice performances of Kevin Conroy or Will Arnett in animation are actually your favorite portrayals of the caped crusader.

So, how do you cast such an iconic character over and over, and still have a fresh and compelling take?

Christian Bale as Batman in a scene from Batman Begins.

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Courtesy of Warner Bros.

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John Papsidera, a casting director who’s worked on all of Christopher Nolan’s films since Memento, knows the biggest factor that makes for a good Batman.

“We had to test actors in the mask,” he says about the process of casting for Batman Begins which made him realize, “It’s about being able to hold the camera’s gaze, it’s about confidence.”

Casting a beloved, existing character like Batman means taking into consideration that everyone has an idea in their head about who Batman should be.

Before Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy began in 2005, the last Batman audiences saw was George Clooney in Joel Schumacher’s Batman & Robin (1997), which was campy, colorful and over the top. Arnold Schwarzenegger cracks “ kick some ice” puns as Mr. Freeze, Batman and Robin trade quips while over the top sound effects play . The film was a complete flop with critics and audiences . Schumacher’s gone as far as apologizing for the whole debacle.

George Clooney and Chris O’Donnell in Batman & Robin.

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Courtesy of Warner Bros.

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If Batman was going to return in the 2000s, he’d have to look different. Papsidera says director Christopher Nolan “wanted to have a real dialogue with the audience,” and came in with a darker and more grounded vision than the Batman of the '90s. Instead of puns about ice, the characters in Batman Begins deliver dialogue about corruption, justice, and systemic failures, while still believably dressing like their comic book counterparts.

Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne in "Batman Begins."

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Courtesy of Warner Bros.

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“That idea of having heightened performances, but still grounded was like walking and chewing gum at the same time for actors.” Papsidera knew they were asking a lot of the actors they tested for the part. Jake Gyllenhaal and Cillian Murphy (who was later cast as the villain, Scarecrow) were brought in for screen tests, but Papsidera says, “Christian [Bale] was like a Swiss watch. All things pointed to Christian.” Bale’s performance anchored a trilogy of Batman films that was so massively successful, it received attention from the Academy and legitimized and reinvigorated the superhero film as a genre. 

We probably won't need to send up a signal to get Batman back on our screens soon.

You can hear more about John Papsidera’s career as a casting director and his experiences working with Christopher Nolan on the Dark Knight trilogy on The Academy Museum Podcast. 

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How do I find The Academy Museum Podcast?

It's now available from LAist Studios. Check it out wherever you get your podcasts! Or listen to Episode 9: Casting Batman in the player above.