‘Reacher’ Star Alan Ritchson Gets Name-Dropped by James Gunn in Batman Talk

If there’s one thing fans learned about director and DC Studios’ co-CEO James Gunn before and after the Superman release, it’s that he’s ready and willing to address any topic.

Gunn has been mostly open about the future of DC superhero movies, potential characters and even addressing casting questions. One topic that remains of interest to fans is the possible future face of Batman in his DCU reboot.

While Robert Pattinson is expected to reprise the role in Matt Reeves' The Batman Part II, it's the casting for The Brave and the Bold that's drawing immense intrigue. Not surprisingly, Gunn was willing to discuss that topic on some level recently, while speaking on the Happy Sad Confused podcast.

Alan Ritchson at the Los Angeles screening of 'Reacher' held at The Culver Theater.

Variety/Getty Images

While the new face of DC Studios admitted that the new take on Batman is unlikely to come in the same year as the Matt Reeves sequel, he did tease that the next Dark Knight could be seen before The Brave and the Bold.

One name that Gunn specifically referenced was the star of Amazon Prime Video's hit TV series Reacher, Alan Ritchson, as Collider detailed. 

"Probably not, probably not in the same calendar year again. I'm not going to say if The Brave and the Bold is the first time you'll see this Batman," Gunn said. "I haven't thought of casting yet. I am a big Alan Ritchson fan, both as an actor and as a guy...let's just wait to see what happens."

The comments stand out for several reasons, but Gunn's reference to Ritchson is particularly interesting. The Reacher star has been in the mix of fan-favorite choices to play Batman in recent years, and it sounds as if there's some level of mutual interest there from Gunn and DC.

Whether that interest turns into anything remains to be seen. Still, the casting of the next Batman will only become a more significant talking point following the box office success of the latest Superman film.

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