Alan Ritchson
Easily the most high-profile of the Bat-hopefuls, Reacher star Alan Ritchson has made clear his desire to take his skills to Gotham City. In fact, Ritchson has already had some conversations with Gunn about a place in the new universe. On one hand, Ritchson makes perfect sense, as he already spent some time in the DC Universe, appearing as Hawk on the television series Titans. On the other, Ritchson is really, really big, which isn’t always a quality one associates with a guy who spends his nights perched on the ledges of buildings.
Or is it? The recent hit comic book series Absolute Batman reimagines the Caped Crusader as not just a man raised in poverty by his single mother, but also as a massive dude. Absolute Batman takes place in a universe outside the mainline DC universe, but its popularity makes the strongest case for Ritchson yet.
Ben Barnes
A newer addition to the group is Ben Barnes, best known for his parts in The Punisher and Shadow and Bone. With his dark features and good looks, Barnes certainly has the traditional appearance of the brooding Bruce Wayne. And even though The Punisher was a far more grounded show than the high-concept take on Batman we’re likely to get in Brave and the Bold, Barnes at least has shown that he knows how to work in a world in which costumed vigilantes exist.
However, Barnes makes his pitch not by consulting his resume, but by appealing to emotion. Speaking to Collider, Barnes mentions watching old family movies and, “in every single one, I was dressed like Batman or Robin Hood. I think there may have been a Spider-Man one, but it was mainly Batman.” Usually, one would think that a warm family memory wouldn’t be a good pitch to play a guy who famously had a rough childhood. But maybe Barnes’s unusual approach will appeal to Gunn.
Brandon Sklenar
Like the others on this list, Brandon Sklenar has admitted he would like to play Batman. But he hasn’t had to make too much noise himself, because his fans are making it for him. Sklenar has been a popular fan cast in certain corners of the internet, so much so that there’s already a bit of a backlash to him being chosen… which, to be clear, hasn’t actually happened yet.
In his favor, Sklenar has experience working in genre and big franchises, thanks to his role as Spencer Dutton in the Yellowstone spinoff 1923. And while other issues dominated the conversation around last year’s It Ends With Us, Sklenar did put in a performance as a handsome guy with a dark secret. However, those parts also have a certain sweetness that might make Sklenar a bad fit for Batman, especially as with Caped Crusader trying to raise his ninja assassin son.
