Arguably the most popular video game voice actor out there, Troy Baker has one of the most unique portfolios in the industry. On one hand, he has starred in epic video-game series such as The Last of Us, Uncharted, and Death Stranding.
On the other, he has voiced characters such as The Batman, Joker, Hawkeye and even Loki in various media forms. The Joel Miller of The Last of Us video game franchise, Baker was also involved in the TV series and played the minor role of James. While the leading role eventually went to Pedro Pascal, who did as good a job as one can expect, the Chilean superstar was not Baker’s first choice for the role.
In an interview way back in 2014, when The Last of Us’ live-action iteration was announced as a movie, Baker claimed that he would himself have cast Josh Brolin for the role. Marvel’s very own Cable, Brolin was initially a candidate for Zack Snyder’s take on Batman, a role which was eventually given to Ben Affleck.
Troy Baker wanted Josh Brolin to play Joel Miller in The Last of Us live-action
Initially, the live-action iteration of The Last of Us was to be in the form of a movie, for which filmmaker Sam Raimi had been roped in. The Mr. Robot creator even wrote a script for the project which José Cañas promised was ‘very good’, according to Level Up.
While the project was canceled in the end, The Last of Us eventually got its own TV series which starred Pedro Pascal, and opened to utterly positive reviews in January 2023. Regardless, Troy Baker had already spoken out on his choice for the role of Joel Miller even before the movie got canceled, in an interview with IB Times. The now 48-year-old had claimed that it was Josh Brolin, who he thought was ideal for the role:
Me personally, if I were to cast Joel, Josh Brolin would be my ultimate choice, but I know whoever they choose will be someone they trust and I trust them as well.
Of course, while Troy Baker had his own choice, he also had faith in the creators to end up making the right one. While the movie got canceled, Craig Mazin and company did not disappoint with their choice for the series, and thus fans got Pedro Pascal as Joel Miller, much later!
Josh Brolin was also a candidate for Zack Snyder’s Batman
Such is the merry-go-round apparent in Hollywood that an MCU star almost got a major DC role, in the form of Batman. The caped crusader’s role eventually went to Ben Affleck, who also did an ideal job in the three movies in which he played the role.
While Josh Brolin eventually played the role of Marvel’s biggest baddie thus far in the form of Thanos, he had previously taken up the mantle of Cable in Deadpool 2. What fans might not know, however, is the fact that he was also on the list for Zack Snyder’s Batman, In an interview on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Brolin claimed the following:(via Indie Wire)
It would have been the older, the more raspy, for lack of a better word. Honestly, that would have been a fun deal. And maybe I’ll do it when I’m 80.
While the opportunity came knocking before Deadpool 2, Brolin refused, although he claims he would love to take up the role when he is older. Of course, that kind of opportunity may not come again, although the actor will not be complaining, considering his own MCU roles since.
The Last of Us is currently streaming on Max.
