Greetings Fellow CBM Readers,
After the announcement of the upcoming Superman/Batman movie at the San Diego Comic-Con few days ago, several articles about who can take on the iconic role of Batman after Christian Bale began to pop up at the website and all over the Internet.
As many of you I thought of actors that can do justice to Bruce Wayne like John Hamm and Matt Bomer, however a genius casting suggested by a good friend changed my mind and I began to see in this relatively unknown british actor the potencial to take Batman to the next level, and for this reason, I am writing this article to share with you my reasons to believe that Scott Adkins is perfect for Batman.
Who is Scott Adkins?
Adkins is an skilled martial artist that is making a name for himself in Hollywood in several movies. His best and best known role is Yuri Boyka y in the 2nd and 3rd installments of the Undisputed Trilogy (2006 and 2010). He was part of the all star ensamble of The Expendables 2 (2012) as Hector and had small roles in movies like Unleashed (2005) The Bourne Ultimatum (2007) and X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009) as Ryan Reynolds double and stunt man in the role of Weapon XI /Deadpool / Wade Wilson.
Scott Adkins was born in Sutton Coldfield, England, on June 17th, 1976. He began taking Judo lessons when he was 10. At 14, after being muggled in a bus, he began training Tae Kwon Do under the instruction of Ron Sergiew. Then he moved to Kickboxing under Anthony Jones. He also mastered the chinese martial art of Wushu and japanese JiuJitsu. He combined all this training with Weight lifting and Gymnastics.
He is a A self confessed "film junkie" and his idols were action and martial arts icons like Bruce Lee and Jean-Claude Van Damme. He enrolled in a drama class at Sutton Coldfield College and was offered a place at the prestigious Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art, but he dropped out due to financial issues. His debut in a feature film came in 2001 when he
joined the Hong Kong production Dei seung chui keung (2001)(aka Extreme Challenge.He impressed several directors in Hong Kong including Woo-ping Yuen, Corey Yuen, Sammo Hung Kam-Bo and the legendary Jackie Chan. Before Hong Kong, Adkins worked in small roles for several British Television shows.
You can read his official biography in more detail at his
IMDB Profile.
Why is Atkings perfect for the role?
First, he looks the part. I see that several people are suggesting blonde, baby face actors like Armie Hammer and Ryan Gosling for the role. Bruce Wayne is not blonde and he is as manly as a man can be. Bruce and Batman must be intense and have a huge presence. The kind of guy that earns your respect and admiration as soon as he walks through the door and I think that Adkins has that quality. A guy that has worked his body to the limit, that has traveled and endured several physical and mental tests to achieve the skills he has can understand Batman better than a good looking actor with a personal trainer.
He is an amazing fighter. Check this video about his fighting scenes at Undisputed 2 and 3...
He works hard to stay in perfect condition...
He can do amazing things, check this video during a Martial Arts Seminar teaching the power of a side kick
After watching those videos I couldn't help to remember games like Arkham City. This guy under the direction of Zack Snyder can give us some of that mind blowing action that we see at Cartoons and Videogames. In the movies we haven't seen a Batman displaying his legendary fighting skills. He is too stiff and relies on his gadgets and other tricks to look good. I think that if the production team can work on a suit like the one Batman uses at the Arkham games and give an skilled man like Adkins enough range to move, we can see a Kick ass Batman.
What about his acting skills?
The main complain about Adkins is his acting. As many actors in the genre people consider him bad or mediocre compared to actors in dramatic roles. I think that this complain lacks any value when it comes to Batman. This is an action hero, not a drama queen. Batman in the comics is a cold person that avoids to show emotion as much as he can. He is not an easy going person that enjoys company... he can be a cocky bastard sometimes and his biggest flaws is how studborn and untrusting he is. An actor playing Batman must be intense, must have a deep and strong gaze and look calm and smart. I saw that in Yuri Boyka... he is a villian with a heart... this turns him into a hero in the 3rd movie of the trilogy. He can be a cocky, he can be scary and he can display leadership qualities too.
Many people would say that an action movie actor can't do a believable detective. Many fans wants this movie to show why Batman is the best dectective of the DC Universe. A friend of mine for example, believes that Benedict Cumberbatch can fill that role in a better way, due to his great work in the Sherlock Holmes TV series. I think that he is a great actor, but I can't see him as Bruce and actually he kindda looks like the Joker.
I think that the Detective side of Batman doesn't depend on the actor but on the screenplay and the director. If the story takes its time to create a good mystery and the writer is talented enough to resolve it in a surprising yet logical way, and the director is good enough to guide the actor through the whole process, we get a good Detective Story. David Fincher is an excellent example on how to take an actor and be able to channel the story through his character in a successful way. He can take the best from the people he works with. I think that Snyder needs to work on that, however he did a great job directing the cast of Watchmen and he is able to pull it off.
What about his relationship with Henry Cavill's Superman?
Atkins is a fighter turned into an actor and Cavill is an actor that shaped his body for the role. They represent Batman and Superman's dichotomy. Bruce is a skilled fighter that push his body to his limits in order to acomplish the mission. Superman is a demi god that spent his life learning to limit his powers to live like an ordinary man. As Zod told him in the movie, Superman is brawler, not an skilled fighter. Batman on the other hand knows how and where to hit when he is fighting. Henry and Scott can show those opossing fighting styles.
Plus Cavill has a nice guy charm and Atkings has that badass attitute, however both characters can relate to eachother due to the fact that they were shy and quiet kids with unusual childhoods.
Final thoughts
When I pay to watch a summer blockbuster I expect a funny and thrilling ride throught a visual spectacle that allows me to enjoy a good moment. I think that the upcoming Superman/Batman movie opens the opportunity to have an unforgetable experience at the cinema and I think that a talented and skilled actor like Adkings can bring a lot to this proyect.
He is not a well know actor in the United States, which is a good thing when you work an Iconic character as Batman.
He has the skills to do great action scenes and at the same time, with a good script and direction, he can improve his acting to do justice to Batman and add something great to his mythology.
Scott Adkins is for me the actor that we need for the Batman we deserve.