After years of speculation, we finally know for sure that Ben Affleck won’t return in Matt Reeves’ The Batman, meaning that Warner Bros. will be looking for a new actor to fill the cape and cowl. Over the past few weeks, numerous names have been rumored to be the next Bruce Wayne, including Jon Hamm, Jake Gyllenhaal, Jack O’Connell, Armie Hammer and Robert Pattinson, but someone who’s persistently been linked to the iconic role is Game of Thrones‘ Kit Harington.
So much so, in fact, that the English actor is now the odds-on favorite to land the part. British bookkeepers William Hill have slashed the price on Harrington being snapped up as the next Batman down to 6/1, following a run of bets earlier today. An insider told The Express: “Kit is clearly a very hot property and now that Game Of Thrones is over he is almost certainly available.”
As you may’ve heard, Harington recently appeared on a rumored shortlist of actors that WB’s said to be considering, a list that also featured Ansel Elgort, Dylan O’Brien and Logan Lerman. As that collection of young stars suggests, Reeves is reportedly looking to cast someone still in their 20s in order to explore the DCEU Batman’s early days of crime-fighting. This fits with the stripped-back feel of the movie, too, which will focus more on Batman’s detective abilities.
So, could Harrington be the world’s next Caped Crusader? Perhaps, but back in September, the actor’s agent denied him having been approached to play the character. That being said, the situation could have changed since then. In any case, we likely won’t find out for a while who the studio’s eyeing, as the latest reports point to WB announcing their choice in either May or June.
The Batman, meanwhile, is pencilled in for release on June 25th, 2021.
