With the new heads of Warner Bros. Discovery making a lot of changes to the current DCEU slate, it looks almost as if the entire cinematic universe is set to be rebooted sometime in the near future. Films like The Flash and Aquaman 2 are still scheduled for release, but whether these are the final DC films in the current universe remains to be seen.
If the universe is rebooted sometime soon, then it is possible that Ben Affleck and even Robert Pattinson will be forgotten about in favor of some new actor to play Batman. There are many actors fans would love to see taking on the role, but who would make the best Batman?
7 Josh Brolin
Many fans are clamoring for the idea of the often dark and brooding Josh Brolin as Bruce Wayne. While Brolin playing the character now would be an older take on the character, this wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing. So many versions of Bruce Wayne have been seen on-screen that an older version slowly hands the torch to a younger protégé like Dick Grayson or Barbara Gordon.
Brolin has huge experience playing dark comic book characters, including Thanos and Cable in Marvel movies, and Jonah Hex in his eponymous film. But he hasn’t had a role thus far in the DCEU, and fans still believe in the potential of Brolin as Bruce Wayne/Batman.
6 Kit Harington
Kit Harington also has experience with being dark and brooding. Jon Snow in Game of Thrones was a character that, much like Batman, felt like he had no family left and had to create a new one at the Wall. He was also filled with darkness and appeared morose for much of his time on-screen.
Kit is young enough to play a new take on Bruce Wayne excellently, at 35 he has a lot of potential in the role and could play it for an extended period of time. He also doesn’t have as many major commitments right now as some other actors fans want for Batman, which could avoid scheduling conflicts.
5 Miles Teller
Miles Teller has been recently proving fans who thought he wasn’t box office material wrong with his hugely successful turn alongside Tom Cruise in Top Gun: Maverick. After appearing in the much-maligned 2015 Fantastic Four reboot, he hasn’t had a look at playing another superhero.
But he could match the brooding style of other Batman actors while bringing something unique to the role, including a little levity. Teller has leading man potential and is definitely young enough to play the role for an extended period of time in a reboot of the universe. A recently turned huge box office star could help DC get through some of their recent controversies.
4 Daniel Kaluuya
Kaluuya has broken out in recent years since appearing in Jordan Peele’s Get Out and is now considered a huge box office star. After appearing in Black Panther, Judas and the Black Messiah, and most recently Nope, Kaluuya is waiting for another huge role to make his own.
Another star with enough youth to create a long legacy as Batman, Kaluuya has the intensity and brooding nature in many of his roles that fans have come to expect in Batman. Bruce Wayne and Batman both require an actor with a hint of levity for a slightly different take on the role, and Kaluuya is used to the blackly comedic style Jordan Peele used in both Get Out and Nope.
3 Dylan O’Brien
Dylan O’Brien has already had a lot of experience in leading roles, between The Maze Runner films and other projects like Love & Monsters and American Assassin. While he has surprisingly not taken on a superhero role yet, there is a lot of potential there and fans have wanted him in many mantles.
O’Brien was a firm fan favorite a few years ago for the role of Dick Grayson, but with the darkness, he brought to roles like in Teen Wolf, he can definitely play Bruce Wayne in his younger years and have a long tenure as the Batman.
2 Jensen Ackles
Jensen Ackles is a huge figure in pop culture due to his roles in Supernatural and more recently The Boys. While Soldier Boy isn’t a traditional superhero figure, it is a major foray into that world for Ackles, who has already played Batman in animated films Batman: The Long Halloween Part 1 & 2.
Ackles has a strong leading man stature and while he hasn’t led many films so far, there is a lot of potential for him to take on the role of Bruce Wayne. While he isn’t as young as some other options, Ackles could easily play a well-established Batman that already has gathered the family of Bat characters around him.
1 Karl Urban
Karl Urban is another older possibility for the role of Bruce Wayne. Urban has already taken on a plethora of pop culture-related roles, including Judge Dredd, Bones in Star Trek, and Billy Butcher in The Boys. His already excellent career could be finished by a tenure as a mentoring Bruce Wayne to a younger set of Batman characters such as Batgirl and Robin.
While Urban has a long history of playing these franchise roles already, there is always the possibility for one more major run as Bruce Wayne, helping lead the DCEU as an established presence while they reboot and fix many of their issues.