Rumor: Studio Wish List Names Actors Being Considered for Matt Reeves’ The Batman

JB Augustine |

Mar 12, 2019

In “take it with a grain of salt” news, a rumor is circulating that Matt Reeves and Warner Bros. are narrowing their search for a new Batman to a few that will fit the 20-something type they seek. Ben Affleck let it slip recently a younger actor might be what they’re looking for, though we’ve suspected that for a while.

Geeks WorldWide first promulgated scuttlebutt of a casting wish list and they also urged for the aforementioned granular substance. Still, spotty as their record may be and cautiously skeptical as the site is being, they are saying the list includes names familiar to superhero fandom.

Aaron Taylor-Johnson (star of [easyazon_link identifier=”B003TOH8AE” locale=”US” tag=”boundingintocomics-20″]Kick-Ass[/easyazon_link] 1 and 2) and Nicholas Hoult (who’s been Beast ever since [easyazon_link identifier=”B01J5SES5U” locale=”US” tag=”boundingintocomics-20″]X-Men: First Class[/easyazon_link]) made the alleged list. Both have the credentials and seasoning any fan might hope for, and they fall into the right age range. Taylor-Johnson and Hoult are 28 and 29, respectively.

Either could be suitable between their penchants for action, genre fare, darker material, and comic-based properties. Hoult is known well right now as Hank McCoy but he’s had supporting roles in the Clash of the Titans remake and George Miller’s Mad Max: Fury Road as one of the crazy war boys. He is also a surprising 6′ 3″ so height isn’t a problem for him.

Taylor-Johnson played Kick-Ass, Quicksilver, and a twisted desert-dwelling redneck in Nocturnal Animals. His looks are a better match for Bruce Wayne’s affable playboy persona. Height-wise he’s under six feet (5’11’) but there is a margin of error. One of the best Batmen of all time — Michael Keaton — is only 5′ 9″.

Others purported among the supposed names are Jack Reynor (Transformers: Age of Extinction), Alexander Ludwig (Vikings), and the guy who keeps coming up, Jack O’Connell. No mention of Armie Hammer. Each, Hammer included, brings a little something of what Hoult and Johnson could to the role — British nationality notwithstanding.

None of them is guaranteed and we won’t know anything until Matt Reeves puts more pieces in place, rolling closer to production. And that’ll be a wait. The Batman won’t be coming soon to a theater near you until summer 2021.

Do any of these actors stand out to you as the next Batman? Who is on the top of your Batman wish list?