There is a rich history of actors who have played the Batman over the years. Michael Keaton, Adam West and Christian Bale are some of the most iconic stars to step into the DC character’s shoes over the years. Those are just in live-action productions; Kevin Conroy and Keanu Reeves have been just as prolific voicing the part in animated versions.
With such a heritage, one might imagine that any actor would dream of getting an opportunity to show how they would execute a Batman performance. Yet that is not always the case. Pearl Harbor star Josh Hartnett indeed made history by becoming the only known actor to say no – not just to Batman, but DC’s other iconic superhero, Superman as well.
Ryan Gosling is another Hollywood star who hinted that he would probably go down Hartnett’s path if offered to play the Batman, rather than follow in the hallowed footsteps of Keaton, Bale and Conroy.
A list of Gosling’s best movies over the years proves just how adaptable he is, starring in multiple genres without putting a foot wrong.
Ryan Gosling Was Asked About Playing Batman At The Toronto International Film Festival In 2018
Ryan Gosling was one of the standout stars of the Toronto International Film Festival of 2018. In a year that also boasted brilliant pictures like Green Book, If Beale Street Could Talk, and Viola Davis’ Widows, Gosling and co held their own with the Damien Chazelle-directed biographical drama, First Man.
In the movie, Gosling played the pioneering astronaut Neil Armstrong, a story based on his official biography: First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong. It was there at TIFF 2018 that the star was asked by Variety about the possibility of ever playing the Batman in future.
Gosling was clearly not prepared to openly slam the doors shut on the prospect, but his hesitancy to answer in the affirmative also spoke volumes. To start with, he appeared to stutter through his words: “Well, you know… I don’t know. It would depend on…” he said, without actually saying anything.
In the end, he decided to throw the ball into Damien Chazelle’s court, an even more awkward choice because he is a director and not an actor.
Damien Chazelle Also Dodged The Question About Batman
Ryan Gosling either trusted Damien Chazelle to diffuse the question with as little PR damage as possible, or he effectively just didn’t worry about throwing him under the bus. “Damien, you wanna do that one?” he quipped. “Now that I’d like to see… Damien Chazelle [as] Batman, that I would like to see.”
Chazelle proved quite adept at dodging the bullet once tossed into the limelight. Despite also being lost for words for a moment, he very quickly found a perfect riposte: “Neil Armstrong is the real life superhero, so you know…” Indeed, the film was about the obstacles that the scientist had to overcome in his personal and professional life to become the first man to step on the moon.
“We tell the story through the perspective of Neil Armstrong and his wife, Janet, and their family and just try to demythologize that moment in history, show what it really took and how hard it really was,” Chazelle told The Hollywood Reporter, still at TIFF 2018.
The hardest thing for Gosling in playing the role was the anxiety about what Armstrong’s children would think of his performance.
Ryan Gosling Was Also Previously Linked With A Role In The MCU
The Variety reporters had to have envisioned Ryan Gosling in the batsuit in order to ask him the question. It is not the first time that the actor has been linked with a superhero role, however. On a few occasions in the past, he has been rumored to be in line to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe as the character Ghost Rider.
The strongest indicator of that probability surfaced in July 2022, when Marvel president Kevin Feige talked up the idea. Unlike his reaction to the prospect of playing Batman, Gosling is said to be very keen to join the MCU as the character previously played by Nicolas Cage and Gabriel Luna.
Per IGN, the report was put to Feige by MTV News at the San Diego Comic Con and he gave a response that appeared to give hope to Gosling, and anyone else who hopes to see him as Ghost Rider. “Ryan's amazing. I'd love to find a place for him in the MCU,” the producer said. “He's dressed up as Ken on Venice Beach [and] he gets more press than giant movies coming out that weekend. It's amazing.”