It seems that Warner Bros. is going to great lengths to add diversity to its DC Comics movie slate, and that’s certainly in its interest considering how well received Wonder Woman was, not to mention the plaudits rival studio Marvel enjoyed with Black Panther two years back. If the success of these films proved one thing, it’s that audiences these days are keen to see blockbuster franchises striving to be more representative.
From the sound of things, DC and Warner are firmly on board with this. We recently reported that the dynamic duo is considering casting a black actor to play Batman in an Elseworlds-style movie set outside of DC Extended Universe continuity (kind of like what we saw with Joker) and now we’ve gotten word that they have someone in mind for the role.
According to our sources – the same ones who told us that Green Lantern and Justice League Dark series were coming to HBO Max, and that Kevin Conroy was playing Kingdom Come Batman in “Crisis” – the studios are toying with the idea of casting Black Panther star Daniel Kaluuya as an alternate version of the Caped Crusader in this Elseworlds-style project.
If DC and Warner decide to push ahead with the film, Kaluuya would surely be a strong candidate for the role. Not only did he watch over the borders of Wakanda as W’Kabi in Black Panther, but he also played the superhero Black Death in Kick-Ass 2. So, his resume more than checks out.
Although there’s never been a black Batman on the big screen, DC Comics introduced the Dark Knight’s African counterpart, Batwing, during 2011’s Batman Incorporated storyline. Moreover, there’ve been reports that the comic book titan is planning to introduce a black Batman to its mainline continuity in the near future, too.
It’s unclear how close the Elseworlds-style Batman project is from being greenlit and what it’ll ultimately turn out to be, but we’re told that DC definitely wants a black version of the iconic hero on screens and it’ll be happening sooner rather than later.
