Prime Video/DCWho will play the DCU Batman? Well, according to Reacher star Alan Ritchson, it won’t be him.
It’s the biggest question still hanging over James Gunn’s new DC Universe, especially because he keeps insisting that Robert Pattinson and Matt Reeves’ Batman will remain separate as an ‘Elseworlds’ property.
There have been a lot of fan casts, but Ritchson has arguably been the most popular and consistent pitch of them all. It makes sense: he’s a jacked, charismatic, strong-jawed actor who rose to fame playing a hero who doles out his own form of justice wherever he goes. He’s basically already Batman, just without the cape, gadgets, butler, and traumatic childhood backstory.
Plus, the star has expressed interest in the role multiple times. However, he’s since spoken to Gunn, and it looks like someone else will don the cowl in the DCU.
Alan Ritchson spoke to James Gunn about playing Batman
Prime VideoIn an interview with Variety, Ritchson addressed the Batman fan casts head-on – but it’s not good news.
“Well, it’s not a rumor that James Gunn is a fan. He said it himself. And am I a fan of James Gunn? Absolutely,” he said.
“I don’t want to mislead people. Words have been exchanged about Batman. But I strongly don’t think that Batman is in my future. I do think there is something in my future with DC. And I would like that to remain true.”
So, who else could he play? He’d be a good fit for Aquaman, which would also be a nod to when he played Arthur Curry in Smallville (one of the best superhero TV shows of all time). Perhaps he could be Booster Gold, Hawkman, or Wildcat; the possibilities are practically endless.
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“Bro hold out for an Absolute Batman Elseworlds movie. It’s 100% coming at this rate,” one fan wrote on X/Twitter. “I would genuinely love to see him play a version of Batman from an Elseworld story,” another posted.
That seems pretty unlikely, considering The Batman Part 2 is an Elseworlds story and it’s still not in production. The sequel is set for release in 2027, and it’s unclear if we’ll even see the DCU’s version of Batman before then – unless they’re the same character.
Speaking to Screen Rant, Gunn said he’s still “figuring out” what direction to take with the caped crusader.
“We’ll have to see what we’re doing with Batman, and figuring that out,” he said.
“So obviously we know some basics about where it’s going with Batman, but we’re also figuring some things out, so everything’s fluid.”
In the meantime, find out why Robert Pattinson should be the DCU Batman and read more about the Peacemaker character that could be connected to Batman.