A couple of weeks ago, The Hollywood Reporter relayed word that Matt Reeves and Warner Bros. have yet to meet with actors in preparation for the upcoming DC flick The Batman, but according to a self-declared “rumor” reported by Geeks WorldWide, the studio may at least have a wish list of stars they’d like to see as the next Caped Crusader.
Earlier this month, ex-Batman Ben Affleck seemingly confirmed the old rumor that Warner is on the lookout for a younger actor to fill his shoes, and sure enough, the five names that GWW lists are all in the 26 to 29 age range. First of all, you have Jack Reynor from Macbeth and Transformers: Age of Extinction. Then there’s Alexander Ludwig from The Hunger Games and Vikings. After that is Starred Up’s Jack O’Connell, a regular fixture on these rumored shortlists. But if you’re looking for someone with more superhero experience, there’s also Aaron Taylor-Johnson of Kick-Ass fame, and the last of the five is X-Men series regular Nicholas Hoult.
The original GWW report advises that you take this list with “a big grain of salt,” and we’ll surely tell you the same. In fact, the article goes on to stress that it’s unusual for the people on these casting wish lists to end up landing the part. With that in mind, even if we assume these names are legit, perhaps it’s best to view this report as an indicator of the “type” that Warner is looking for, rather than a list of the actual people who may realistically end up in the role.
But whoever our next Dark Knight is, we still have quite a wait ahead of us before seeing them in action when The Batman hits theaters on June 25th, 2021.
