Reacher star Alan Ritchson was a fairly popular pick to play Batman even before he made a massive impact in the title role in the Prime Video series, but the fan-casts really picked up when DC Studios' co-head James Gunn announced that a new actor will play the Dark Knight in the planned DCU The Brave and the Bold movie.
For his part, Ritchson has fully leaned in to the campaigns, expressing interest in donning the cape and cowl on a number of occasions.
"The fact that people are interested in me playing Batman is a real honor and privilege," he said in a 2024 interview. "It's one of the first characters I fell in love with as a child: I still remember the big, long pistol coming out of Joker's pants as he goes to shoot down the Batplane. Those iconic moments really resonated with me as a child. For there to even be a conversation or a rumor mill surrounding this role, for me… all I can do is laugh. I just think it's wild that's where we are."
Ritchson took part in Wired's latest autocomplete video, and the Batman "rumor" came up yet again. The actor is definitely still hoping to get the opportunity to play the iconic DC Comics hero, joking that they "wouldn't even have to pay" him to star in The Brave and the Bold. He also gave us a little hint of how his Bat-voice might sound!
"What's amazing to me about this rumor of the Batman or the Batman desire and the zeitgeist is the fact that James Gunn has personally announced publicly on his Twitter or X or whatever, 'LOL, he's not playing Batman. He is not playing Batman!' And this thing will not die. I get asked every day if I'm playing Batman. Yeah, would I play Batman? Yes. Would I pay handsomely to be Batman? You wouldn't even have to pay me to be Batman. I would, yeah, I would don the suit. 'Gotham is mine.' Look at that. I don't even have to practice. It just comes out naturally."
Is there a chance Gunn and co. might be considering Ritchson for the role? Anything is possible, and it's worth noting that while these campaigns rarely result in the actor landing the gig, it is not unheard of. Rumors persist that The Batman star Robert Pattinson will ultimately wind up staying on as the DCU's Caped Crusader, but Gunn recently confirmed that a new actor is being sought.
As for director Andy Muschietti, it sounds like he is still attached to helm... for now!
Here's what The Flash filmmaker had to say about the possibility of Pattinson plating The Brave and the Bold's Batman in a recent interview.
"As everyone knows, the Batman featured in The Brave and the Bold will belong to the new DC universe. It’s quite obvious that Matt Reeves’ Batman is not part of this new universe. However, DC and Warner Bros. are moving forward with the second part of Reeves’ Batman series, which, as widely reported, is expected to release around 2027. This means the next Batman movie will take some time before it sees the light of day."
"Releasing two Batman films simultaneously would be counterproductive," The Flash director continued. "What DC is doing is creating a strategy to ensure these two films don’t conflict with each other. Regarding my involvement in the project, there are good intentions for now. They want to do the movie with me, and I want to do it as well. I’m eager to work on the film. We are talking about the story and the tone."
"This is the introduction of the DCU's Batman," Gunn said of the movie when the Gods and Monsters slate was announced. "This is the story of Damian Wayne, who is Batman's actual son who we didn't know existed for the first eight to 10 years of his life. He was raised as a little murderer and assassin. He's a little son of a bitch. He's my favorite Robin. It's based on the Grant Morrison comic book's run, which is one of my favorite Batman runs, and we are putting that all together right now."
Peter Safran added, "And this is obviously a feature film, and it's going to feature other members of the extended 'Bat-family', just because we feel like they've been left out of the Batman stories in the theater for far too long."