MovieChat Forums > The Batman (2022) Discussion > Charlie Hunnam would have been a much be...

Charlie Hunnam would have been a much better pick...


I know the typical Pattinson fangirls will retort to the heading "But Charlie is in his 40s!" well, it would have been in his 30s had they picked him to be The Batman when they first started filming.

In any case, I just watched The Lost City of Z, and it's amazing how much Charlie completely overwhelmed Pattinson when it came to masculinity and alpha-male machismo. He very much came across with the sort of stout resoluteness that Travis Fimmel put on display in the film Danger/Close.

It's this subtle, nuanced, underlying intimidation factor not everyone has, and Pattinson certainly doesn't have it.

Just the way guys like Charlie and Travis talk are completely different from betas like Pattinson.

Hunnam also has a much more fine-tuned Batman voice than Pattinson. When you listen to them speak, Hunnam commands respect with his pitch and intonation. Pattinson does not.

Even as Batman, Pattinson seeds his words through whispers and mutterings of a nature lacking confidence and stride.

I think that's another big difference between the two. Hunnam commands screen presence with confidence, not unlike Christian Bale.

It's funny because Bale was younger than Pattinson when he first donned the Batsuit but acted and SOUNDED ten years older than Pattinson. There's a certain level of masculine maturity there Pattinson lacks, something that guys like Bale, Hunnam and Fimmel exude.

Hunnam basically carried himself very much like a Bruce Wayne in Lost City of Z, and he wouldn't have to "grow" into being Bruce Wayne, he'd already have that confidence (and that's one of Batman's defining traits, which is why he's able to seamlessly blend into and get out of many situations, using his high I.Q., and wit to turn up or down the charisma, something Bale nailed perfectly in the TDK trilogy).

Hunnam definitely would have been able to portray a confident playboy by day and a menacing vigilante by night (he wasn't too far off from this in Sons of Anarchy).

Now I know a lot of Pattinson fangirls will prattle about The Batman being based on Year One, and that's why Pattinson fails to bad at being confident, versatile, and masculine, but to that I say, "So was Batman Begins!"

The difference, however, is that with or without the suit, Bale commanded the screen, came across as a bona fide bada$$, and you would believe he could beat the snot of someone whether dressed as a bat or not. Pattinson? Not so much. Hunnam? Absolutely.

A real missed opportunity here, because Hunnam definitely has the acting chops to portray a complex and layered character while speaking very few words, and when he does speak he can broach the intimidation line very easily and without even hollering. Also, it would send a WHOLE different message hearing someone like that say "I am vengeance".

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Pattinson is the reason why I skipped watching this movie, but good for him that he has been successful and has his extremely loyal fanbase. It's time to please another type of audience I guess, I can always rewatch Bale's and Keaton's interpretations which are my favorites... excited that Keaton will be back for several projects... can't wait for Batman Beyond.

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i imagine the director wanted Pattinson specifically for the emo goth/The Crow type element he has ,like from an emo/goth graphic novel, as opposed to another beefcake alpha male like Bale or Affleck (altho physically Pattinson is about the same height as Bale and probably similar size to him in TDK/TDKR)

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i imagine the director wanted Pattinson specifically for the emo goth/The Crow type element he has ,like from an emo/goth graphic novel, as opposed to another beefcake alpha male like Bale or Affleck


I mean, I guess that makes sense... but there's like gotta be 100 other actors out there who can do masculine-emo. I mean, Brandon Lee actually was a typical alpha-male beefcake who did do the emo thing, but being a legitimate badass martial artist and real-life brooding fatalist really helped sell the character.

Pattinson is squirmy and uncomfortable, lacks confidence, and doesn't know how to project intimidation, which is the biggest drawback to his Batman. Keaton was soft-spoken but in a menacing and mysterious way, which is ironic because he's also shorter than Pattinson. But he had also manage to capture a rage in his eyes and facials; he had a maniacal side to him, as he showcased in the apartment sequence with Jack Nicholson.

I don't think I've ever seen Pattinson as an intimidating rage-a-holic or a maniacal alpha male?

When they originally pitched hiring Jason Momoa for Batman and had him come in to read the lines, I could definitely understand it if it was for Matt Reeves' movie (though thankfully he ended up as a heavy metal Aquaman), because he would definitely be a brooding, alpha-AF emo Batman.

(altho physically Pattinson is about the same height as Bale and probably similar size to him in TDK/TDKR)


Another ironic twist, Pattinson is taller than Bale, but Bale weighed 20kg more than Pattinson when he first donned the Batman suit. Even though Bale lost weight to move more nimbly in the Dark Knight suit, he still weighed 10kg more than Pattinson did for Batman. Bale was basically pure muscle, getting into actual Batman shape.

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I can't stand Hunnam.

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I am glad people like you don't make films. The batman was absolutely fantastic and we will be getting more films thankfully. Let the film making be done by the pros.

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And what's worse is, like, it's fair if someone doesn't like this movie, but when the suggestions being made literally change the movie from what's being intended, it's not really a suggestion. This Batman wasn't intended to be masculine, confident, or mature. He's not supposed to be a wealthy, millionaire playboy.

If someone doesn't like that portrayal of Batman, that's fine. If someone doesn't like the movie cause of this, that's fine. If someone thinks this film is completely antithetic to the very concept of Batman, that's fine too. But saying Hunnam should be cast instead of Pattinson for these reasons doesn't make any sense at all.

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Amen. Preach! Look we all have our preferences I get it. However I hate how people act like a movie is like going to a restaurant. You don't fault the movie because it's not what you would have made. You judge it for what it is. Matt Reeves is the director not me or anyone on this board. Look i like elements of Burton, Nolan and Reeves films and their take on Batman. I have my preference but in the end I like them all.

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I LOVE THE LOST CITY OF Z BUT HUNNAM WOULD BE BORING AS THE BAT...PATTINSON REALLY PROVED HIMSELF POST TWILIGHT...THE ROVER BEING THE PERFORMANCE I KEEP COMING BACK TO FOR HIM...RIGHT CHOICE FOR THIS NEW BATMAN FILM.

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Im not thinking Hunnam would be right for the role, but I think he'd be better than Pattinson. Dude was all wrong. Once again, Warner Brothers/DC can't cast worth a flip.

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Im not thinking Hunnam would be right for the role, but I think he'd be better than Pattinson.


That's a good way of putting it.

It absolutely stood out more to me than ever before only because both Pattinson and Hunnam were in the same movie together, and while Pattinson disappeared into his role with the sort of traits he's become accustomed to, Hunnam stood out in his role for his bravado.

Pattinson still anchored the sort of traits in The Lost City of Z that he carried over into Matt Reeves' The Batman, which is not a compliment to his ability to adapt to the character, but rather a showcase of who he is as an actor. I thought he was quite good in The Lost City of Z, and perfectly fine (actually better than the lead) in Tenet.

The problem is that those characters, those traits, and his persona are just all wrong for Batman.

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Critical acclaim and user acclaim would disagree with you.

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