Alan Ritchson Won’t Play Batman, But Might Still Join the DCU

Now that James Gunn’s DCU is off and running and we have more than a half-dozen heroes already cast, the biggest lingering question is (and will remain), “Who will play Batman?” Whether Gunn and his DC Studios partner Peter Safran intend to cast the Caped Crusader prior to the culmination of Matt Reeves’ The Batman Epic Crime Saga remains to be seen, but that hasn’t stopped fans from trying to guess who Bruce Wayne might be. One popular fan cast was Reacher star Alan Ritchson. The actor himself made it very clear he wanted the role. According to a new interview, Ritchson won’t play Batman.

In an interview with Variety (which we first saw via IGN), Ritchson confirmed he and Gunn are mutual fans of each other. He also confirmed he did have a conversation with Gunn about the Dark Knight.

“I don’t want to mislead people. Words have been exchanged about Batman. But I strongly don’t think that Batman is in my future. I do think there is something in my future with DC. And I would like that to remain true.”

That seems to indicate what we had assumed for a while. That Gunn has a plan for Batman. If it will follow the Batman and Son formula Gunn hinted at during the initial announcement, that means a slightly older Batman. Ritchson is 42 and has three children, so it’s not like it’s an impossibility, but maybe Gunn has a specific thing in mind. However, Ritchson not playing Batman does open him up to playing a number of other characters. Maybe Deathstroke in the apparent team-up movie with Bane. Our resident DC-head Eric Diaz maintains Ritchson should play New God Orion. So that’s an option too.

But you know who else isn’t playing Batman? Chris Pratt. Gunn recently said his Guardians of the Galaxy star (lord) has had conversations about joining the DCU, but as “something else.” While I would have enjoyed Ritchson’s take on Batman, I’m glad to hear Pratt won’t play him either. That is not good casting, and Gunn knows it.

So, who will play the DCU’s Dark Knight? The search goes on.

Kyle Anderson is the Senior Editor for Nerdist. He hosts the weekly pop culture deep-dive podcast Laser Focus. You can find his film and TV reviews here. Follow him on Letterboxd.