Smallville's Michael Rosenbaum revealed that he auditioned for the role of Batman on Amazon's upcoming animated series Batman: Caped Crusader.
"I think my Batman was really good," Rosenbaum shared on his podcast Inside of You. "I think I nailed that. I think they were really happy with Batman, but the Bruce Wayne I don't think they were happy with. I could tell." Though Rosenbaum mentioned that he received a callback from his audition, he ultimately did not get the part.
The Smallville alum also paid tribute to the late Kevin Conroy, who passed away from cancer in November 2022 after cementing himself as the preeminent voice of the Dark Knight for more than 30 years in television, film, and video games. "He's the best of all," Rosenbaum said. "That hurt. That one hurt. It was a shock, man." It is unknown whether Amazon was considering Conroy for Batman: Caped Crusader before the actor's death, and the studio has yet to announce any members of the series' voice cast.
Rosenbaum is no stranger to the DC Universe. The actor is perhaps best known for his role as Lex Luthor on Smallville, playing the frenemy to Tom Welling's Clark Kent for seven seasons. He also voiced Wally West version of The Flash in the Justice League and Justice League Unlimited animated television series. Rosenbaum has also voiced several other DC characters in various animated films and television shows, including the Barry Allen version of The Flash, Kid Flash, Deadshot and Deadman. The actor is well-acquainted with the Marvel Cinematic Universe as well, playing Martinex T'Naga in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
Batman: Caped Crusader Lives Again
Spearheaded by Bruce Timm, J.J. Abrams and Matt Reeves, Batman: Caped Crusader was first announced back in May 2019. Warner Bros. Discovery later canceled the series, along with several other high-profile projects, in August 2022. Unlike properties like Batgirl, however, Batman: Caped Crusader was then shopped around to different studios, gathering interest from heavy hitters like Netflix, AppleTV and Amazon Prime. In March 2023, it was announced that Amazon had landed the Batman series with a two-season order.
In addition to Timm, Abrams and Reeves, Batman: Caped Crusader's team includes revered comic book creatives like Ed Brubaker. Best known for introducing the Winter Soldier during his seminal run on Captain America, Brubaker joined Caped Crusader in January 2022, describing the series as a "slightly more pulpy take on the character, and a new way of looking at the world of Gotham, set in the past but viewed through a modern lens."
Batman: Caped Crusader's 10-episode Season 1 is still in development with no release date yet.
Source: Inside of You, Twitter