DC Studios' The Brave and the Bold is expected to center around Batman and his biological son, Damian Wayne (though there's a possibility that's no longer the case). The young assassin being in the picture points to Batman having had at least two previous Robins—one of them being Dick Grayson. This, in turn, means there's likely already a Nightwing operating somewhere out there in the DCU, a possibility that's made some fans excited about potentially seeing the hero finally take center stage in a feature film.
Now, despite being arguably one of DC Comics' most prominent characters, Nightwing has never been represented on the big screen in live-action. Though there have been no news on whether Brave and the Bold could change that, a former DC actor has sparked speculation online about the character's future.
Asher Angel, who played Billy Batson in 2019's Shazam! and 2023's Shazam! Fury of the Gods, has expressed interest in the role a few times in the past. Recently, he posted a picture of himself on X, at what seems to be a party, talking to a man wearing a Nightwing hoodie. The picture was cryptically captioned "Gn," and gained quite a bit of traction, garnering over 13,000 likes.
The post made people on X and the r/DCU subreddit wonder whether he was hinting at a potential involvement with the role of Dick Grayson. The picture was particularly intriguing given how, as mentioned, this isn't the first time Angel has made his interest in the role known. In early 2024, for example, he prompted online chatter about the character when he posted a Nightwing gif on X.
Then, in 2025, Angel expressed interest in taking on Nightwing during an appearance on the Spout podcast. The actor was asked how it felt to be fan-cast as Spider-Man, to which he replied: "I think the fan castings are so cool. I actually spend a lot of time on the fan castings." He was then asked if he had a favorite, to which he replied: "I do have a favorite, and it's obviously Nightwing."
Now, while Angel's most recent post is intriguing given his public interest in the character, it's important to mention that there are currently no known DCU projects for which Nightwing could be cast. The most likely candidate for Grayson to show up in in the near future, Brave and the Bold, doesn't seem to have a finished script yet. As such, with no projects for him to star in, it would be highly unlikely for DC Studios to be casting for the role. Thus, Angel's picture could ultimately be a case of him campaigning for the part, as opposed to being in active conversations with DC Studios.
In 2024, during an interview with ComicBookMovie's own Josh Wilding, Angel spoke about potentially returning to the DC Universe as Billy Batson:
"I'd always be open to going back and playing Billy Batson. I'd never want to take [Zachary Levi's] place because we're in this together. If there any other characters out there in the future, I'd also be open to that. I'm pretty open! There’s a time and there’s place, and it'll happen."
Shazam! and Shazam! Fury of the Gods are streaming on HBO Max.
What do you think about Asher Angel's post? Do you think there's a possibility he's being eyed to play Nightwing? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!