As a lifelong lover of Batman and his supporting characters, you’d better believe that a movie headlined by Nightwing ranks high among those I most want to see within my lifetime. But considering how director Chris McKay has taken on Dungeons & Dragons as his next project, the realist in me is thinking Dick Grayson won’t fly solo until a much, much later date – if at all.
Still, it’s fun to ponder the possibilities as to who’ll ultimately play the Dark Knight’s first – and, arguably, greatest – apprentice whenever he may grace the silver screen. Already, fans have crafted artwork imagining the likes of Zac Efron and Jared Padalecki in the role, the latter of which was my top choice for the longest time, though he’s probably a little to old for the gig at this point.
Similarly, “denkata5698” has posted an absolutely gorgeous rendering (below) showing how Josh Hartnett would look if he chose to suit up in the black and blue over on Deviant Art. Capturing the actor’s likeness impeccably, the piece also manages to be quintessentially Grayson, so I must applaud the effort.
But with Hartnett now being 39 years of age, it may be better to cast someone under 30 when the time comes, for we normally think of Dick as being relatively youthful. Additionally, it should be noted that Josh once turned down the role of Batman, so thinking he’d take this gig may be a bit of a stretch.
Personally, if I had my pick of casting Nightwing at this point in time, I’d give the job to Riverdale‘s own K.J. Apa. Think about it: He’s 21, already in great shape, and has proven he can go to different extremes with his modern take on Archie Andrews. Call me crazy, but I think he’d be perfect.
