10 Oct – Since the curtain closed on Batman, otherwise known as the Dark Knight after Christopher Nolan's "Dark Knight" trilogy just months ago, most would not have expected news of a new Batman so soon, but according to MTV, rising Hollywood actor and "The Lone Ranger" star Armie Hammer could be joining Warner Brothers' forthcoming blockbuster film, "Justice League", playing the role of Batman.
Hammer, 26, was previously meant to play Bruce Wayne a.k.a. Batman in the George Miller-directed film adaptation, "Justice League: Mortal", but unfortunately, the project never happened due to the writers' strike and tax break withdrawals.
"We were about to start shooting when the writers' strike happened at the end of 2007, and then the Australian government denied the 40% tax rebate that they thought they were going to have, so a lot of things just went wrong," Hammer explained.
He added, "It's unfortunate because of the amount of work that was already done. I mean, they had finished pre-production and they were a couple of days away from starting to shoot, so it's a shame that nobody got to see all of the work that got put into it."
The upcoming "Justice League" will be based on a script written by Will Beale, who is also known for his work on "Gangster Squad". The film revolves around a fictional superhero team made up of superheroes that appeared in comic books published by DC Comics, among which includes Superman, Batman, The Flash, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern and Martian Manhunter.
Moviehole reported, "The studio needs a new guy to guard the cave now that Christian Bale has hung up the cowl. And with plans to reintroduce a younger take on the character in the upcoming "Justice League" movie, a draft of which has been completed by Will Beale, the studio has Hammer atop of their list of potentials."
Hammer shot into the spotlight when he appeared in David Fincher's "The Social Network" playing twins Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss. Fans can catch him next in Gore Verbinski's American Old West flick, "The Lone Ranger", co-starring Johnny Depp and Tom Wilkinson.
Warner Brothers' "Justice League" is tentatively scheduled to be released in cinemas in 2015.
