LOS ANGELES — Wicked Pictures has announced that reigning XBIZ Male Performer of the Year Seth Gamble has been chosen to be the new Dark Knight in Axel Braun’s latest DC 'AxelVerse' entry, “The Batman XXX: An Axel Braun Parody Series.”
"'Batman Day' is an annual event organized by DC Entertainment to celebrate all things ‘Gotham’ in pop culture,” explained a rep. To coincide with Batman Day 2020, Braun revealed that "after an extensive virtual casting call, Seth Gamble has been chosen to portray the Caped Crusader.”
"I am beyond honored to take on this iconic role,” said Gamble. "Out of all the superheroes, Batman has always been the one I felt most connected with since I was a little kid, and to be able to wear the Batsuit now and bring this character to life is nothing short of a dream come true."
The Hero's Journey
Gamble, a frequent Braun collaborator, has had a decade-long association with the director that has seen him portray iconic characters like Luke Skywalker, Captain Boomerang, Mr. Hyde and, most recently, Deadpool.
“I think the most intriguing part for me is exploring the ‘hero’s journey’ to become Bruce Wayne, not Batman.” said Gamble, a three-year-sober recovering addict whose own journey was recently chronicled in an article published by Men’s Health magazine.
“Putting on a mask is easy; finding yourself can be way more challenging,” Gamble explained. “Bruce Wayne has to walk a long path through grief, guilt, revenge and acceptance, and hopefully with everything I’m willing to bring to the role I’ll be able to do it as much justice as possible.”
Braun said he "couldn't be more excited" to showcase Gamble’s formidable skills.
“I have never met an actor as gifted, intense and versatile as Seth,” raved Braun. “He’s always made my movies better, not just with his outstanding performances, but also by bringing to the set a level of professionalism, focus and discipline that is an inspiration for the entire cast and crew, including myself."
Braun described Gamble’s audition as “just incredible.”
“He really captured the essence of the character, not by doing an impersonation, but by making it his own,” Braun added. “I have to say, a lot of performers put real effort in their auditions, and two of them were quite exceptional — but Seth was just on a whole different level.”
Confused Mainstream Actors
According to Braun, Gamble went to the trouble of renting a studio, hiring a cameraman and a gaffer, and even purchasing a professional Batman cowl to create his audition.
“It didn’t even look like an audition,” the director marveled. “It actually looked like a series of clips from a finished movie.”
“Needless to say, it's always special when I get to create with Axel — he’s such an incredible director. The synergy that we have is incomparable,” Gamble added.
Wicked said that during the selection process more than 30 submissions came from "blissfully unaware mainstream actors through a hapless Hollywood agent who mistakenly assumed Braun’s auditions were being held to replace Robert Pattinson in 'The Batman,' since filming on the DC/Warner Bros. production was recently suspended after the actor tested positive for COVID-19.”
“That was quite an OMG moment,” said Braun.
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