Man Of Steel Actor Wants To Be The Next Batman

Warner Bros. is in need of a new Dark Knight.

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After three movies as the World’s Greatest Detective (see: Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, Suicide Squad and Justice League), Ben Affleck has officially hung up the cape and cowl – presumably for good, unless Matt Reeves has some sort of small secret cameo planned for him in The Batman.

Nevertheless, his decision to part ways with the iconic DC hero has naturally sent the Internet into a frenzy, with everyone putting forth their choices for Batfleck’s replacement. Armie Hammer and The Punisher‘s Ben Barnes have been name-dropped as likely candidates for the role, while even Robert Pattinson has found himself coming up in conversation, too. But over on Twitter, a face who might be familiar to DCEU fans has just shown some interest in being our next Batman.

Chris Meloni, perhaps best known for his starring role on Law & Order: SVU, had a small part in Man of Steel as Colonel Nathan Hardy, and after someone suggested he be the next Caped Crusader, the actor responded by saying that he’d be down.

Yo @DCComics this is what the kids call, “going VIRAL”! Pull the trigger. I’m ready. I’m….BATMAN https://t.co/4hqkeM7wDP

— Chris Meloni (@Chris_Meloni) February 6, 2019

Of course, the chances of this happening are pretty slim, as Meloni is already 57 and everything we’ve heard tells us the studio wants someone in their late 20s or early 30s. Still, we might as well add him to the ever-growing list of potential candidates as Warner Bros. continues casting their net far and wide in search of Ben Affleck’s successor.

Don’t expect an official announcement for another couple of months at least, though, as WB currently has its hands full with Shazam!, the standalone DC pic facing the somewhat daunting task of opening in a post-Aquaman world. James Wan’s larger-than-life blockbuster has already raked in north of $1 billion at the global box office, so the pressure’s certainly on for the franchise’s next release.

The Batman, meanwhile, has been penciled in to arrive in theaters on June 25th, 2021.