It looks like Alan Ritchson may not be the DCU’s Batman, but he is getting closer to joining the franchise in a “messier” role. While many fans have been pushing for Ritchson to become the next Dark Knight, and he has floated the idea himself, it looks like there could be another role coming down the line for him, and he has already been in talks with James Gunn about it.
The DCU’s casting process is one that is done very much behind closed doors, even though James Gunn often happens to tell everyone who has not been cast in certain roles on his social media pages. According to Ritchson, he is now definitely in line to join the many stars of the DCU, and the real question now it just who he will be playing. He told ScreenRant:
“Yeah. Yes. That’s the conversation that I’ve been having with them is like, ‘I want to play somebody a little messier.’ And I told them, I said, if I’m going to do this, I described to them the kind of personality that I’d want to play and what that would mean to their world, and I think it’s something everybody wants to see right now over there. So yes, I want to play somebody a little dirtier than your typical clean-cut protagonist.”
While some would say that Batman is not always depicted as a “clean-cut” hero, Ritchson has previously suggested that he is not in the running for that role in the DCU. James Gunn has also previously responded to the many fan calls for Ritchson to be cast as Batman in The Brave and the Bold, admitting he wants Ritchson in the DCU, but not necessarily as Batman.
Alan Ritchson Could Be Playing a Hero or Villain in the DCU
While things finally seem to be shifting in the right direction for Ritchson, there are now several theories about who exactly he will be playing in the franchise. The actor has had plenty of heroic roles in past DC projects, including as Arthur Curry aka Aquaman in Smallville long before Jason Momoa became known for the role, and as Hawk in Titans. This has led to many believing that he could be about to take on a less heroic role his next time out.
With Man of Tomorrow being the next DC movie seemingly to be cast, some fans have theorized that the timing of Ritchson’s “talks” with Gunn could suggest he will be an antagonist in the Lex Luthor/Superman movie. However, some people have been casting a wider net, pulling in several other obscure and lesser seen characters – something Gunn is well-known for doing himself.
Among the many suggestions made for possible roles Ritchson could play, Wildcat, Midnighter, Bane, and even Azrael in The Batman Part II have been recurring options. However, others have thrown Swamp Thing back into the mix despite that film now being in limbo, or even a return has his Titans character, Hawk. In the end, we will find out who Ritchson is playing when James Gunn is ready for us to know, and until then, everything else is just speculation.
- Birthdate
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November 28, 1982
- Birthplace
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Grand Forks, North Dakota, USA
