Talia al Ghul is a character best known for heading the League of Assassins in the DC Universe and is often depicted as a highly intelligent and extremely deadly individual. She tends to walk down the darker paths in life and is seen by a lot of superhero fans as one of the most dangerous female villains in the DC world.
Talia has a complicated relationship with Bruce Wayne, and Robert Pattinson himself has publicly expressed his interest in playing out some of these romantic aspects on screen in the 2022 film The Batman. Successfully portraying Talia al Ghul requires actresses to get in touch with their bad side and put on their mean face. Listed below are 5 actresses who would do an excellent job telling Talia’s story in Robert Pattinson’s The Batman.
Helena Bonham Carter
Helena Bonham Carter has played a number of female villains over the years, including Bellatrix Lestrange in Harry Potter, the Red Queen in the live-action Alice In Wonderland movie and the bloodthirsty Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd. Carter has also tackled gritty roles like Marla Singer in Fight Club, and Julia Hoffman in Dark Shadows. Her unique ability to transform bad girls into fan-favorite characters, in addition to her ability to liven up even the most lackluster of films, would make her an excellent choice for Talia al Ghul in The Batman.
Lexa Doig
Lexa Doig actually played Talia al Ghul in seasons 5, 7, and 8 of the DC-inspired series Arrow. Her performance as Talia was well-received by Arrowverse fans, and now that the DCEU is introducing the concept of the multiverse, bringing her back as Talia in a Batman movie would make for an interesting multiversal twist.
Having Doig reprise her role would also help form some links between the multiple Arrowverse series and the main DCEU film franchise. As of right now, the DC movies and shows are pretty disconnected from each other, but bringing back an actress who is already familiar with the character could unite both sides of the live-action DC world. It also ensures that Talia’s story will be told convincingly by someone who is already familiar with the character.
Salma Hayek
Salma Hayek has been in an incredibly diverse range of films, from the raunchy comedy Grown Ups to the heart-wrenching Spanish drama In the Time of the Butterflies. She’s no stranger to the world of action, having nailed her part as the butt-kicking, foul-mouthed Sonia Kincaid in The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard. She also played the powerful vampire-cult leader Santanico Pandemonium in From Dusk Till Dawn. Given her many years of experience in the acting business and her undeniable talent, seeing her tackle Talia al Ghul and lead the League of Assassins headfirst into battle would undoubtedly be an incredible experience for superhero fans everywhere.
Arden Cho
Arden Cho is best known for her role in the hit teen drama Teen Wolf, where she portrayed the lovable, yet fierce, Kira Yukimura. In her time as Kira, Cho demonstrated her ability to play characters that are smart, stealthy, strong and loyal, much like Talia al Ghul herself. Plus, Cho’s character Kira was great with a sword, which is the weapon of choice that Talia often uses in the DC Comics when she’s fighting her enemies. Although Cho is an unexpected choice, getting to be Talia al Ghul would give her the chance to properly showcase her talent as a young actress.
Eiza Gonzalez
Eiza Gonzalez has been in a litany of action movies like Baby Driver, Fast & Furious: Hobbs & Shaw, Godzilla vs. Kong and the Valiant Comics superhero movie Bloodshot. Talia’s only superpower is intense training and strong will, so Gonzalez’s ability to play characters, who fight back with nothing but their own perseverance, in all of these films makes her a great choice for the Demon’s Daughter.
Gonzalez also has experience playing protagonistic characters who like to dabble in villainy, thanks to her role in I Care A Lot. Talia often struggles in the DC Comics to find a balance between carrying out her fathers wishes and doing what she thinks is right, and Gonzalez’s acting in I Care A Lot proves that she could easily capture Talia’s complicated moral grey areas in The Batman.
The Batman already has a strong, albeit rather small, group of actors on the cast list. Although there hasn’t been too much information about what fans should expect from the upcoming film, the trailers have revealed there to be a very dark, grim tone surrounding this new installment of Bruce Wayne’s story.
Now that the Joker is being taken out of the limelight to make room for the terrifying Riddler, The Batman is sure to be unlike any other preceding Batman projects. Talia al Ghul’s presence would surely push the envelope above and beyond, especially if fans got to see her messy relationship with Bruce Wayne start to unfold.
The Batman will be released in 2022.