DC’s Titans May Feature Batman Via Flashbacks

Upcoming TV series Titans has definitely piqued DC fans’ curiosity. After all, the Teen Titans have been crying out for a live-action adaptation for decades now and finally, one’s about to arrive in the form of the aforementioned show, which is set to air on DC’s streaming service. We already know it’ll star Pirates of the Caribbean’s Brenton Thwaites as Dick Grayson and wherever there’s Robin, a certain pointy-eared vigilante usually isn’t far behind…

Yes, the latest report about the series suggests that Batman himself could appear in some form. THS has got hold of some casting calls for a couple of characters set to feature in flashback sequences. One is labelled as “Young John Crossland,” but the description makes it clear that this is really a call for a young Dick Grayson. The mention of athletics suggests that Titans will explore Dick’s younger days as a boy acrobat with his circus family, the Flying Graysons.

YOUNG JOHN CROSSLAND – Male, Caucasian, To play 10-13, athletic, lean, approximately 5’0″ and not afraid of heights.  Please list height on submission.  RECURRING GUEST STAR

As fans surely know, Dick’s circus career is cruelly curtailed when his family is murdered. However, this kickstarts his new life as a crime-fighting sidekick, as Bruce Wayne takes him under his wing. Intriguingly, it looks like Titans will dramatize this part of Dick’s youth as well. Though the other casting call might be named “Dave Story,” the character described has got to be Batman.

DAVE STORY – Male, mid 30s-40s, Caucasian.  The downfalls of others only make this man stronger. Polished. Unwavering. Think a young Jack Nicholson. RECURRING GUEST STAR.

From the classification of these characters as recurring guest stars, it looks like Titans will explore Dick’s backstory across several episodes. Given this, we would imagine that Bruce Wayne will feature in a fairly substantial role. For instance, they could tackle Batman in the same way that Supergirl season 1 tackled Superman – as a silent figure just out of sight. However, this would probably get a bit old after several episodes.

Either way, if we’ve got the right end of the stick here, that means we’ll soon have not one, not two but three separate versions of Bruce Wayne on our screens – once you include Ben Affleck in the movies and David Mazouz in Gotham. What a time to be alive!

Titans is expected to air in late 2018.