DC Studios co-CEO Peter Safran has confirmed that he has spoken to Reacher star Alan Ritchson about a potential DCU role, but he didn't reveal which character/characters they discussed.
Ritchson's star has been on the rise since he landed the title role in Prime Video's massively popular Jack Reacher adaptation, and he has also appeared in several well-received big-screen releases, including the recent Motor City.
The actor remains a popular fan pick to play Batman, and previously revealed that he did meet with DC Studios - but not about potentially playing the Dark Knight.
"I really respect James. I would like to do something with James. James would like to do something with me. There could be a bright future for us, and there have been a lot of conversations."
A rumor that Ritchson was in line to play Bane and Josh Brolin was in talks to play Slade Wilson in the planned "Savage Hunters" movie circulated a few weeks back, and while it seems Fortress of DC may have been on to something, they appear to have mixed Ritchson's character up.
According to Jeff Sneider on a recent episode of The Hot Mic, Ritchson was actually speaking to DC about playing Deathstroke, but talks never progressed. Sneider added that there's a chance it could have been Bane, but we really don't see Gunn and Safran casting another non-Latino actor to play that character.
"We talked about a couple things, but nothing that's come to fruition at this point. I think he's great," Safran tells Collider. "Yeah, but he's just good. I also think there's a lot more depth to him than you might have seen. I think there's more that he can do that people haven't seen."
There are numerous DC Characters Ritchson could play, though the actor's imposing physical presence would obviously narrow things down somewhat.
As far as we know, Ritchson is still attached to star in Justin Lin's Helldivers adaptation after Jason Momoa dropped out.
While reporting on the initial movie announcement last year, THR noted that "Lin is not a gamer and leaned into that as a strength when pitching his take on the material, said insiders. He aims to find the humanity in the characters and weave timely themes into the story, while building out a world and mythology. There are plenty of details waiting to be drawn in, something that is compelling to the filmmaker."
Plot details are still under wraps, but the game follows an elite unit of soldiers — known as Helldivers — who battle alien creatures that are threatening to destroy the fictional planet of Super Earth. The first game launched in 2015 and was followed by a 2024 sequel, which sold over 12 million units.
The movie has set a theatrical release date of November 10, 2027.
"When mankind ventured into space, we were curious to see if anything loomed behind those stars; unfortunately, we were right. The initial contacts were peaceful, but soon the people of Super Earth realized the potential danger of communicating with alien species, and before we knew it, they started our first intergalactic war. For 40 years, the war has raged on, a conflict whereby three hostile alien species are hell-bent on a single goal: the total annihilation of the human species.
Luckily, the fighting spirit of man has not decayed since the last great war on Earth. We are now stronger than ever; man, woman and child alike are encouraged to try their strengths in the ultimate test - to have the courage to defend Super Earth."