Bruce Wayne: He Only Plays with Black LEGOs (or, very dark grey)

[MarkHB]

From the recent interview with showrunner Bruno Heller:

 

With Bruce Wayne, in the pilot we see him as we’ve seen him before — as a victim of a tragedy. And of course we know where he goes eventually. What function he serves in the series is unclear.
Well, I will say [actor] David Mazouz is, without doubt, the best actor ever to play the part of Bruce Wayne. Without doubt — including the people who played Batman. He is a genuine prodigy of an actor, as you will see on screen. Frankly, before David was cast, I was ambivalent about how much we would use Bruce Wayne in the series.

 

Well, yeah, what do you do with him?
What do you do with a 12-year-old kid? Like I say, he’s off-the-charts talented. So I’m hoping to use him as much as his mum will allow us to, and in the kind of stories you’d imagine. It’s not going to be young Bruce Wayne going out and saving the day, because that’s not what kids do. It’s about the strange education of this young man. He has a good idea of where he’s going early on. But it’s about the growth of this young man.

 

And here is young Master Bruce in a recent "official" photo (not included in the post as it's very large).

 

So far as "the best actor ever to play the part of Bruce Wayne" goes, maybe Heller only saw Batman and Robin?

Edited May 13, 2014 by MarkHB

[GHScorpiosRule]

This guy is delusional. Better than actors that have played Batman? He's making it so very difficult for me to give this show a chance, what with my bias against Bats' Rogues appearing in this.

Edited May 13, 2014 by GHScorpiosRule

[Camera One]

The over exaggeration is certainly not attractive in a showrunner.

 

Nevertheless, I'm hoping having a young Bruce does ensure there is going to be some time devoted to character development with character moments for both Bruce and Gordon, instead of being a boring ol' procedural or action show.

[Danny Franks]

Kid Bruce Wayne is the character I am absolutely not interested in, I'm afraid. Having him appear as anything more than a one-episode, 'my parents have been murdered' foreshadowing is going to be a mistake.

 

Look, I don't want to watch TV shows starring 12 year olds. I just don't. Mostly, I think kids suck at acting, and I don't even feel bad for saying that. That interview is absurd, because even the best child actors couldn't touch Bale (who I'm not a fan of anyway) or Keaton. What they're doing, though, is ensuring that this show ends up being about this kid and the beginning of his journey to being Batman. It's not going to be about Gordon, because just by having Kid Bruce Wayne, there will be clamour to see hints and pointers about his eventual direction, and it'll just get louder, the longer the show is on.

[janie jones]

No, I agree, I don't want to watch a show about a 12-year-old, so a sprinkling of l'il Bruce is plenty. 

 

because even the best child actors couldn't touch Bale

At first I thought you meant Bale at 12, and for a split second I thought of how cool it would be if through time travel, they got the 12-year-old Bale to play Bruce Wayne.

[Danny Franks]

 

At first I thought you meant Bale at 12, and for a split second I thought of how cool it would be if through time travel, they got the 12-year-old Bale to play Bruce Wayne.

 

 

I actually like 12 year old Christian Bale far, far more than I like adult Christian Bale. I still rank Empire of the Sun as his best performance. And I very much doubt this new kid will be a better actor than Bale was then.

[darkestboy]

I don't know - he could work. I do think the show would be wise to use Bruce far less than any other character but I'll keep an open mind though.

 

Heller's confidence in Mazouz;s skills though is good.

[Trini]

I'm trying to think of another drama where a pre-teen was part of the main cast, and I'm blanking. Wait-- Seventh Heaven, but that show was about that family. And Touch, and Believe, but those were short-lived.

If we're going to be spending time with young Bruce, it might be nice if they expand on his relationship with Alfred.I don't think that's been explored much.

[Tableau]

Henry in Once Upon a Time was ten at the start of the show and was one of the main characters though he was used more like a prop by the writers.

[darkestboy]

Arya, Sansa and Bran in Game Of Thrones as well come to think about it.

 

I think use him sparingly for the first season at least and then a little more as the show progresses.

[Camera One]

The key with a kid actor is to let time pass in real time.  Don't have the entire first season take place in a month's time.  The kid is already 12, so he's already starting to go through puberty and I think it's less jarring than when the show starts with kids who are 10.

[scarynikki12]

Hopefully the showrunner is right and this kid is truly talented.  That would make the show far better.  That said, even if this kid is the future of acting, they need to limit Bruce's screentime.  It's fine to learn a few things about him as he makes his steps to becoming Batman but, and I mean this, they need to focus on Gordon and laying the foundation for Bruce to feel that he needs to become Batman.  They can accomplish this without much input from the character himself.  Just let us check in with him a few times a season and let the future we know he'll have be looming over everything.  Let us use our imaginations and anticipate the next part of his story.

[Camera One]

They need to focus on Gordon and laying the foundation for Bruce to feel that he needs to become Batman.  They can accomplish this without much input from the character himself.  Just let us check in with him a few times a season and let the future we know he'll have be looming over everything.  Let us use our imaginations and anticipate the next part of his story.

 

I agree they need to focus on Gordon, though I would imagine that they will use Young Bruce to develop Gordon as a character.  He would be likely to form a bond with the kid while he's investigating the murders.

Edited July 6, 2014 by Camera One

[Camera One]

Interview with the actor who plays Bruce Wayne.  At least the kid is trying to do his research:

http://showbizspy.com/article/gotham-star-david-mazouz-on-the-best-batman-the-best-moment-of-his-life-and-superheroes-319444

Edited September 17, 2014 by Camera One

[Trini]

Bruce and Alfred:

http://youtu.be/5ODEDjmMTgg

[Camera One]

Silly me, I always thought Bruce was fucked in the head due to witnessing his parents' murder. After the pilot, I considered it might have something to do with the Waynes not being able to come up with anyone more appropriate than their butler as a guardian. Now I find out it's because Alfred was dumb enough, or subservient enough,  to parrot Thomas Wayne's piss-poor ideas on parenting. I really didn't need a version of Batman that gave me an unlikeable, shouty Alfred. 

 

The kid is really messed up.  Now I'm not sure either.  Was he like this before the murder?  

[Atony]

I would imagine Bruce Wayne was always a bit of a difficult kid, he is supposed to be a genius so he would always be too smart for his own good and have a stubborn streak well before the Waynes murder but it is a concept that hasn't been explored as far as I know.

[CocoaGoddess]

The title of this thread though. lol

 

Is it bad that his Lego theme song is playing softly in my head anytime this kid is on the screen? Burning his hand. Glowering. Dark. Brooding. 

 

DARKNESS. NO PARENTS.

[MarkHB]

The title of this thread though. lol

Thread title was mine, so thanks :) .  I had just seen The LEGO Movie twice with my 7yo nephew.

[Danny Franks]

The only issue I have with the thread title is that you Americans pluralise 'Lego', which irritates me. Picky and Brit-centric? Yeah. But the company is LEGO, the bricks are LEGO bricks, they're not 'LEGOs'. Bah.

 

Anyway, I think Bruce Wayne is pointless, in this show. We've seen the most important thing that is going to happen to him, and we know that it will one day affect Gotham City greatly. But for the next decade? Who cares? He's a rich kid living in a big house, and his existence means nothing to anyone except Alfred.

 

The scenes with him just kill the show's momentum, and I think they need to rethink this idea of including him. It's too much to be an easter egg, and there's never going to be a payoff.

Edited October 2, 2014 by Danny Franks

[Camera One]

Who cares? He's a rich kid living in a big house, and his existence means nothing to anyone except Alfred.

 

I am actually quite interested in how he develops as he tries to deal with his parents' deaths, and how he ultimately took the paths towards Batman.  He will have an impact on Gordon, who is the main character of this show.  The writers have made it so that Bruce will have some discretion over how money is spent so as he grows into teenhood, he will probably exert some power or have ideas about how he wants to exert power.  

 

The good thing with an ensemble show is that different people would be interested in different characters to varying degrees.  Bruce is probably one of the top three characters I'm interested in right now, so I'm glad he is in it.  

[fandomfatale]

So far Bruce's scene are my favorite part of this show (if I had to choose). I love his relationship with Jim, and I love his relationship with Alfred. Alfred loves him so much but doesn't know what he's doing. If you wanted to be critical you could probably say that the "I'm testing myself" bit was a little heavy-handed - a little too obviously a part of who he is going to become, especially since it's only the second episode - but I really liked it. I love looking at him and knowing he'll be Batman one day. He wants to help but he's also so entitled. He's grieving in a guarded, independent way, just like you would expect. I just love all of it.

[Tenshinhan]

I am actually quite interested in how he develops as he tries to deal with his parents' deaths, and how he ultimately took the paths towards Batman.  He will have an impact on Gordon, who is the main character of this show.  The writers have made it so that Bruce will have some discretion over how money is spent so as he grows into teenhood, he will probably exert some power or have ideas about how he wants to exert power.  

 

I agree with this.  Not only will Bruce impact Gordon, but Gordon will impact Bruce.  Especially being a police detective, someone whose skills and knowledge would certainly guide Bruce into the direction of becoming the Batman.  They can also have Bruce develop an interest in athletics and the martial arts as well.

Edited October 6, 2014 by Tenshinhan

[Chicago Redshirt]

I'm in the middle of Bruce has shown not enough Batman/too much Batman qualities to be in the "just right" camp.

 

Future master detective: he's been investigating his parents' murder, the Arkham deal, Wayne Enterprises and others obsessively and at an understanding far greater than your typical 12 year old.

 

Ninja skills: More of a wink, but there was at least one scene where he surprised Alfred by suddenly appearing and Alfred told him it was rude to do so

 

Self-discipline: testing himself with the flame

 

Relationship with Alfred: We've already had a scene where Alfred complained about Bruce not eating, another about his obsessiveness, another where Alfred decides to pitch in and help with the detective work.

 

Fighting: We had a scene where he and Alfred fence.

 

The main areas we haven't seen him be like Batman are using Bruce Wayne as a mask, and actual undercover work. But there hasn't really been a need for the former since he has hardly interacted with anyone beyond Gordon and Alfred. Maybe the scene where he was interacting with the Wayne Enterprises "middle manager" he could have been more like "I'm just a goofy kid, but I'm curious about these things." But it seems like that would be too much of a stretch. As for Bruce doing undercover work, well, that is an aspect of Batman that has gone largely ignored in modern live-action versions of the character. Plus it's still early.

[seacliffsal]

I am really intrigued about how Bruce transforms into Batman.  I enjoy seeing his development and think there's a lot of story there.  For super heroes with super powers they just have them; for Bruce as a human he has to develop them.  I like this show very much and have enjoyed all of the episodes.  I think that Bruce has the most unexplored story and am happy to watch it play out.

[Kathemy]

This guy is delusional. Better than actors that have played Batman? He's making it so very difficult for me to give this show a chance, what with my bias against Bats' Rogues appearing in this.

Only problem is, turns out he's going to be proven right.

 

By the way, I've written a really long Bruce analysis but I don't know if I am allowed to link it. Should I just copy/paste it here? Warning, it's long, and it'd lose the pictures.

[Trini]

You could just link it, and/or post some excerpts.

[Kathemy]

Okay, better to link it then.

 

http://kathemy.tumblr.com/post/134693661546/dont-ever-grow-up

[Philbert]

 

Only problem is, turns out he's going to be proven right.

 

Oh I don't know. I think Michael Keaton still holds the crown but young David is remarkable and really nailing this part.

[Kathemy]

Not like I'm claiming David Mazouz would make a better Batman right now. That would be reaching :D But he's very, very talented - as in the showrunner wasn't necessarily  "overexaggerating" - and if the show is lucky, and it actually gets its projected nine seasons? He'll have more experience with that role than any actor in history, and he's got the skills to benefit from that experience. He'd kill it.

[Miss Dee]

I don't know that the show will develop Bruce Wayne/Batman as it ought; that's for more knowledgeable people than myself to thrash out. But if his growth this season is any indication of how far out his limits are, I do think Little Mazouz has it in him to go the distance.

Edited to fix "Barman" - that's a completely different superhero.

Edited December 17, 2015 by Miss Dee