6 Actors Who Could Play Nightwing In The DC Films Universe

Nightwing is finally getting his own movie, and here, we take a look at six actors who would be perfectly suited to play Batman's former sidekick in the DC Films Universe. Check them out after the jump...

By JoshWilding - Feb 28, 2017 08:02 AM EST

Filed Under: Batman

We recently learned that Warner Bros. is moving forward with a solo outing for Nightwing, a character whose live-action debut is long overdue at this point. There were rumours we'd see him in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and then in a seemingly scrapped Teen Titans TV series on TNT, but we now know that The LEGO Batman Movie's Chris McKay will take the helm of a Nightwing movie.

Dick Grayson started his career off as Robin and later parted ways with Batman to become his own man. Tacking crime in Bludhaven, the hero would later reconnect with the Caped Crusader, becoming one of his closest and most trusted allies. In fact, Dick would ultimately take over the mantle of the Dark Knight for a time, with the young Damian Wayne serving as his own Robin.

What the future holds in store for this beloved hero on the big screen remains to be seen, but the big question now is who will be chosen to play the character. It's probably far too late for him to make a cameo appearance in Justice League, but it wouldn't be remotely surprising if he were to show up in The Batman come 2018. Here, you will find six actors we think are perfectly suited to the role...

6. Taron Egerton

Kingsman: The Secret Service put Taron Egerton on the map, and after impressing alongside Hugh Jackman in Eddie the Eagle, the Welsh actor has sequel Kingsman: The Golden Circle up next alongside a Robin Hood origin story which will see him take on the title role. However, it's about time that he make the leap to the Marvel or DC Universe and Nightwing would be a great fit. Egerton has shown off a wide array of personalities in his handful of big screen credits, and he has all the necessary requirements to do Dick Grayson justice on the big screen.

He's the right age, looks the part, and is believable as both a badass and the much kinder, funnier vigilante that Nightwing is when compared to his mentor. A role like this is just what Egerton needs to make him a household name and it's not remotely hard to picture him being able to one day don Batman's cape and cowl should things head in that direction.

Now that he's no longer starring in The Walking Dead, what Steve Yeun does next promises to be very interesting. Seeing him in Okja should be a lot of fun, but the actor best known as Glenn (and Negan's unfortunate victim) has yet to line up a major blockbuster role. Nightwing would not be a bad fit by any means! We know Yeun is more than capable of handling intense action scenes, while the fact he's so damn likeable - hence why Glenn's demise was particularly heartbreaking - is more than enough to ensure that he can deliver a Dick Grayson fans and regular moviegoers alike will have no trouble rooting for.

Yeun's race should by no means cause him not to be considered here as there's literally nothing about Nightwing which specifies that he has to be white. When it comes down to raw talent, this guy has definitely got "it" and I for one would love to see him get the chance to prove that with a role as big as this one.

Poor Andrew Garfield. After battling through a decent and then terrible script with the two Amazing Spider-Man movies, he was unceremoniously dumped by Sony Pictures when they decided to team up with Marvel Studios and reboot the wall-crawler. Since then, the British actor has focused on much smaller movies, but found a great deal of critical acclaim through them thanks to the likes of Silence and Hacksaw Ridge.

As a result, a career which could have very easily been ended thanks to an unappreciated superhero role has been salvaged, but that shouldn't mean Garfield now forever shies away from comic book adaptations. When it comes to Nightwing, he would definitely be solid fit and he has the right attributes to make this work. The cockiness which didn't fit Peter Parker would go well with Nightwing, while his commitment to the wall-crawler's movements and stunts means we know he'd deliver on the action front.

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3. John Boyega

John Boyega stole the show in Attack the Block and after minor roles in BBC TV shows and 24: Live Another Day, he found his big break in the form of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. An immensely likable presence, the British actor has since landed a lead role in the Pacific Rim sequel and it's that which will now be used to measure whether or not he's truly a box office draw and leading man material outside of the Star Wars Universe. I find it hard to believe he'll do anything other than succeed there, and a big superhero role seems inevitable for the rising star somewhere down the line.

Nightwing may not be the most obvious choice, but it's one I see working and I think it would be interesting to see the vulnerability he brings to the role, not to mention the attitude and fighting abilities. The main problem here is how busy the Star Wars franchise is going to keep him over the next few years, and if Dick Grayson can't be squeezed into his schedule, Jason Todd could be an interesting route to go down!

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2. Adam Driver

Yeah, I'm guessing you didn't expect to see old Kylo Ren here, right? If you think back to when Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was casting its leads, you may recall that Adam Driver was at one point rumoured to be in the running for Nightwing. Whether that was a mistake or just complete BS is unknown, but the response from fans at the time was one of horror. No one could quite picture Driver taking on the role of Dick Grayson, with many citing his work in Girls as reason enough why he shouldn't be considered.

Well, since then, the actor has blown us all away with his performance in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, not to mention smaller movies like Midnight Special and Silence. I for one would love to see what an actor this talented brings to the role, and while he may not be the most obvious or conventional choice, I actually think taking the unexpected route for this casting would be pretty smart, especially with a talent like this suiting up as the Caped Crusader's former sidekick.

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1. Dev Patel

Dev Patel shot to fame when he made the leap from Skins to Slumdog Millionaire, and his choices since have been pretty interesting. While he didn't exactly impress in the underwhelming Chappie, his work in The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, The Newsroom, and Lion (which landed him an Oscar nomination) has been excellent and his fans are now all waiting to see when he'll finally make the leap to a big budget blockbuster.

A superhero movie role would be no bad thing for him and I'd say there's a very good reason why he already has a strong following backing him for Nightwing on social media. Whether it's as a circus acrobat, Robin, or a vigilante looking to make a name for himself outside of Gotham City, Patel would kill it as Dick Grayson and definitely deserves a chance to take on a huge role in the DC Films Universe. Given his work in Lion, I can see this guy pulling off any character that he's given, and seeing him suit up as Batman's former protege would make this movie a whole lot more exciting.

Which of these actors do you think is best suited for Nightwing? Do you have some suggestions of your own? As always, let us know in the comments section down below.

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393 Comments

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Kman - 2/28/2017, 8:11 AM Hoping Ben sticks it out for a long time... Batman (Bruce Wayne) and Nightwing interacting for the next 5-10 years could really be something special. Will they make Dick Grayson a previous Robin and actually reference such? You would think so, but nothing these days is for sure. Login to report abuse
PrinceAwesome - 2/28/2017, 8:23 AM @Kman - Ezra Miller would've been a perfect fit for Nightwing tbh. Shame that he was casted for the wrong role tho /; Login to report abuse





























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6 Actors Who Could Play Nightwing In The DC Films Universe

Nightwing is finally getting his own movie, and here, we take a look at six actors who would be perfectly suited to play Batman's former sidekick in the DC Films Universe. Check them out after the jump...

6. Taron Egerton

5. Steven Yeun

4. Andrew Garfield

3. John Boyega

2. Adam Driver

1. Dev Patel

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