Well, we finally have confirmation of what everyone knew all along… Batfleck is no more.
That’s right, Ben Affleck has officially stepped away from the role of Bruce Wayne/Batman. After Affleck gave what a lot of fans would consider the best portrayal of ‘The Dark Knight,’ people will be sad to see him go.
There’s no sense in dwelling on the past!
Matt Reeves at the helm of the new Batman film is reason enough for fans to be optimistic for the future of the Caped Crusader. Reeves has made it clear he wants to go younger with his version of Bruce and really wants to explore more of his detective side.
Who could replace Affleck? Who is up to the task of filling the shoes (or boots) that he left? Let’s take a look!
Nicholas Hoult
Most well-known for playing Hank McCoy, aka Beast, in multiple X-Men films, Hoult is no stranger to comic book movies. Hoult’s talent is evident and his performances in films like the X-Men franchise and Mad Max: Fury Road showcase he is more than capable of anchoring a film as the lead.
With the fate of Fox’s X-Men franchise already decided, Hoult will be free to jump from Marvel right on over to DC to don that famous cape and cowl. He has the talent, the experience, and the screen presence to pull off a younger Bruce Wayne. It’s time to give this man his shot at leading a franchise on his own.
Finn Wittrock
American Horror Story fans will know this name as Wittrock was somewhat of a mainstay on the hit anthology series. DC fans should know his name as well since his name popped up numerous times in regards to DC’s Nightwing movie that was announced all those months back.
Since it would appear production on that movie has stalled, why not Wittrock for a younger Bruce Wayne instead? AHS fans know about the incredible range Wittrock possesses, but for those that don’t, go watch some of his stuff and tell me this guy wouldn’t crush the role of a young Bruce Wayne!
Ben Barnes
Ben Ben Barnes is another actor who is no stranger to the comic book genre after portraying Billy Russo/Jigsaw for the first two seasons of Marvel’s The Punisher (streaming on Netflix now). Barnes could make the jump from charming, charismatic villain to charming, charismatic hero.
He’s definitely got a swagger about him in his acting, a sense of confidence, which would be crucial to the wealthy, socialite side of Bruce Wayne. However, after seeing his performance in Season 2 of The Punisher, Barnes is an extremely versatile actor as he played Russo with a real sense of raw emotion. You really felt just how broken his character was. Barnes would bring a fresh take to the Caped Crusader–broken, raw emotion and all.
Ricky Whittle
Whittle is another name that should sound familiar to DC fans as his name has popped up often in casting rumors for popular Green Lantern, John Stewart. Whittle’s credentials include a lot of smaller roles on television, but he may have finally found his breakout role as Shadow Moon on Starz’s American Gods.
For those that haven’t seen it…go watch it! Whittle is terrific as the leading man, and his performance really anchors the show, especially his chemistry with co-star Ian McShane. Whittle has undeniable talent, leading man looks, and the physical stature to give us a very imposing and intimidating Bruce Wayne.
Alden Ehrenreich
For the Solo critics who cried like babies from the rooftops about Ehrenreich’s casting as Han Solo, I’d just like to take this moment to say…HA!
Although the film didn’t perform up to Star Wars standards, Ehrenreich gave us a damn good portrayal of Han Solo. Enough so to convince me that he’d make a damn good Bruce Wayne as well. As we saw in Solo, Ehrenreich can play the confident, cocky type with relative ease.
He has a ton of charisma and is no slouch in the action department either. I, like a lot of people that saw Solo, considered his performance as Han as a breakout role for Ehrenreich. What better way to keep that momentum going than stepping into Bruce Wayne’s Gucci loafers and becoming Gotham’s Dark Knight?!
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