A mainstay of the Marvel universe for playing the genocidal giant Thanos in
Avengers
and also having a lap in
Deadpool
as a time-traveling mercenary, Josh Brolin's superhero career could have been quite different.
On the occasion of the promotion of his supernatural series
Outer Range
for Amazon Prime Video, the 54-year-old comedian, accustomed to westerns, returned in more detail to his missed appointment with the vigilante bat Batman, icon of DC and Warner.
To discover
Discover the “Best of the Goncourt Prize” collection
Read alsoOur review of the supernatural western
Outer Range
: nature abhors a vacuum on Amazon Prime Video
Josh Brolin was indeed in talks with Zack Snyder to take on the mantle of Gotham's vindicator for the
Batman vs. Superman
summit encounter that hit our screens in 2016 and was fairly disavowed by fans and critics alike
.
Discussions between the actor, nominated for an Oscar for
Milk,
and the director remained at a very preliminary stage.
Zack Snyder quickly changed tack and in 2013 cast Ben Affleck to play disenchanted billionaire Bruce Wayne.
"My Batman would have been older and raucous
," Josh Brolin told the Happy Sad Confused podcast.
Seduced by the risk of failure
“I like reverse role proposals that could totally go wrong. I like the idea of risk and defying the odds, of being the one who can bring down a house of cards. Decades later, we are still talking about the pitiful Batman of George Clooney (laughs)”
, underlined the actor.
Before concluding:
“Zack Snyder finally left in another direction, it was his choice and his right.
He was right."
.
And to joke:
“Maybe I will finally be Batman when I celebrate my 80th birthday!”.
In 2018, Josh Brolin said he had no regrets about this missed opportunity: “I am very happy that it did not materialize”.
Read alsoWith Thanos,
Avengers – Infinity War
offers the most successful supervillain since Darth Vader
Despite the more than lukewarm reception offered to Ben Affleck's Batman - the creative differences around
Justice League
taken over by Joss Whedon did not help - Ben Affleck will wear the cape and black armor one last time for the movie
The Flash,
alongside fellow former Batman Michael Keaton.
This story based on parallel universes and temporalities will hit our screens in June 2023.
