Even as the DC universe is currently releasing the likes of Shazam: Fury of the Gods and Black Adam, a great deal of planning is taking place behind the scenes to set up the next chapter of the new DCU, which has been labeled as Gods and Monsters.
One announcement that seemed to surprise fans more than the rest was The Brave and the Bold, a new Bat-family film set within the new DCU that will feature a new lead Batman who will then go on to become the Caped Crusader for the entire universe.
Ever since that announcement, speculation has been rampant has to who could take over the cape and cowl, with names like John Hamm, Jensen Ackles, Ben Barnes, and more seemingly in the mix. The names being mentioned are unsurprisingly familiar, but there is an actor who is slightly less well known that should be considered: Scott Adkins. Adkins has the classic Bruce Wayne looks and has a great amount of experience in martial arts, making him a prime candidate to play both the billionaire philanthropist and his superhero alter ego, Batman.
Scott Adkins is an actor, stunt performer, and martial artist who has appeared in some recognizable films over the years. Adkins has been in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, The Expendables 2, Zero Dark Thirty, The Legend of Hercules, Doctor Strange, American Assassin, and more. In these projects, he’s appeared as an actor and/or in a stunt performer role, highlighting his versatility as an artist.
Most recently, Adkins appeared in John Wick Chapter 4, where he played Killa, a German mob boss based in Berlin who was in opposition to Keanu Reeves’ character for the middle action sequence of the film. For the role, Adkins wore a bodysuit to make himself appear heavier, and he also had fake gold teeth as well. Despite a radically different look from his usual self, Adkins’ performance still shines through, something that is not an easy feat given the amount of obstacles he had to overcome. Adkins has a substantial and intense talking scene with John Wick, Mr. Nobody, and Kane before the proceedings quickly turn into a large scale action sequence.
His role in John Wick Chapter 4 alone highlights his sheer versatility and shows off some of his most impressive talents that line up well with what is required for a potential new Batman for the DCU. Adkins has the classic look of Bruce Wayne, sporting dark hair and a chiseled jawline. He is also over 6 feet tall, a crucial component of the physicality of the character as he intimidates his enemies. Adkins is far more than just looks, though, as his role in John Wick Chapter 4 highlighted just how good of an actor he is, so it’s clear that he could bring something special to this role as Bruce Wayne/Batman. Adkins was born in the U.K., but he played a German character alongside Keanu Reeves’ action hero, so he’s also clearly very capable of changing his voice to transform even more, another key component of playing an American rich man like Wayne.
Recently, fan art comparing Adkins’ look and the appearance of a comic book depiction of Bruce Wayne went viral on social media, showing the similarities between the two. In many comic book storylines, Wayne often sports a dark stubble on his face, a feature that Adkins seems to have in real life, so the similarities clearly continue to add up and could support the English actor in his quest to become the next Batman.
Despite appearing in so many high profile movies, Adkins isn’t the most well known of performers, but that fact might actually end up going in his favor. One of the reasons why a DCU Batman movie being announced so soon was so surprising was because of the ongoing Matt Reeves Batman world with Robert Pattinson starring as the Dark Knight. In the past, Warner Bros. have been extremely reluctant to have multiple versions of the same character existing at the same time, so this is quite a change from their old policy.
Because of that, they might still be a little nervous about two Batmans potentially competing against each other, so casting Adkins could be a good way to alleviate that pressure. Adkins is not as well known as Robert Pattinson, who gained worldwide fame in the late 2000s for his role as Edward Cullen in the Twilight Saga, so the two could end up balancing each other out quite well. There’s also a precedent to cast relatively unknown actors in big franchise movies, with much of the Star Wars cast across the three main trilogies being turned into stars because of their roles in those movies, which could help convince the studio that Adkins is the right man for the job.
For now, though, DC is focused on concluding the current era of storytelling that will seemingly end in late 2023. The Flash and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom were both made under the previous regime led by Walter Hamada, but neither lead characters (at least in their current state) appear to have long-term futures in the new DCU.