6 Actors We’d Love to See Cast as the New Batman

Armie Hammer

Notable Roles: The Lone Ranger, Oliver in Call Me By Your Name

Most Bat-like Feature: Walking the line

Anyone who has seen Hammer’s bonkers performance in Sorry To Bother You as a coked-up CEO secretly creating a race of horsemen knows he can do the unhinged thing well. And deep down, Bruce Wayne/Batman at his grittiest is not exactly stable. That is why he is DC’s richest character to mine. Hammer is also no stranger to action movies, and while The Lone Ranger was a box office failure, he still went through the rigors of cowboy boot camp (riding, lassoing, gunplay) and more to ease into the part. He even did some stunts like standing on a rickety tower 2,000 feet above the ground.

Hammer said his take on the famed American gunman was more Bruce Wayne than John Wayne, and the 32-year-old actor was actually selected as Batman back in 2007 for George Miller’s scraped Justice League: Mortal project. He wanted to go psycho with the part. With another period action pic (The Man From U.N.C.L.E.) already under his belt, Hammer seems set for a spin as a modern superhero.

John Hamm

Notable Roles: Don Draper in Mad Men, Reverend Richard Wayne Gary Wayne in The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt

Most Bat-like Feature: Stealthiness

It’s not hard to imagine this charming thespian slipping into the shoes of debonair billionaire Bruce Wayne. Hamm is a man of many faces and voices, and while the dapper, devious Don Draper is his signature role so far, he has delved into many different characters. Those include the wacky Reverend Richard Wayne Gary Wayne in The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and his opposite, and the violent bank robber in Baby Driver.

It’s easy to envision him bulking up for Batman, and his ability to be both suave and sinister, as his work in Mad Men and Black Mirror attests, would help with the Wayne/Batman dynamic. At 47, Hamm is the oldest candidate under consideration, but Affleck was 43 when Batman v Superman hit theaters. Director Matt Reeves is reportedly looking for a younger actor, but 47 is the new 37 anyway.

Jake Gyllenhaal

Notable Roles: Louis “Lou” Bloom in Nightcrawler, Billy Hope in Southpaw

Most Bat-like Feature: Quiet strength

Gyllenhaal has a boyish charm that might lead some to believe he would not be imposing enough for this superhero role. But he’s played a number of tortured characters in films like Donnie Darko and Nightcrawler, so he has the emotional resume for the part. The 37-year-old actor also dove into the trenches for Jarhead and bulked up for the sword and sandals epic Prince Of Persia and the boxing slugfest Southpaw, where he gained 15 pounds of muscle. In fact, for the latter, he trained six hours a day for five months, and that included an eight-mile morning run, sparring, and a bodyweight and core workout. And he looked vicious at times, which would boost his Dark Knight portrayal. 

Ryan Gosling

Notable Roles: Sebastian Wilder in La La Land, Neil Armstrong in First Man

Most Bat-like Feature: Brooding

Throughout the various roles he’s played, Gosling has transformed into people who have a lot brimming beneath their stoic (or semi-stoic) surfaces. Think films like Blade Runner 2049, First Man, and the action-packed Drive. The 38-year-old has discussed how he was bullied alot in childhood and did not develop many friendships as a teen. That kind of emotional template would serve him well in portraying the scowl beneath the cowl. Gosling has contemplated superhero roles before and was considered for Doctor Strange at one point. He also performed 70 percent of the motorcycle stunt driving in The Place Beyond the Pines, including one sequence where he rode through an intersection packed with 47 stunt drivers. With all the brooding, emotional depth, and stunt work, Gosling seems primed to put a kickass action hero role under his belt soon.

Michael B. Jordan

Notable Roles: Adonis Creed in Creed, Killmonger in Black Panther

Most Bat-like Feature: Relentless intensity

As he’s proved in the two Creed movies, Jordan is a badass fighter who pulls no punches, and he actually takes them too. In an interview about Creed, Sylvester Stallone revealed that Jordan took an on-set punch so hard that he was briefly knocked out. That’s dedication. He trained hard, doing a lot of cardio and upper-body workouts while also boxing three hours a day. The 32-year-old actor also got ripped to play Killmonger in Black Panther (he read the comics as a kid). The actor has shown both his dark and light sides over his career, and it’s pretty clear he would make a good brawny and brainy Batman.

Kit Harington

Notables roles: Jon Snow on Game of Thrones, the voice of Eret in the How To Train Your Dragon series

Most Bat-like Feature: Noble resilience

As the illegitimate son-turned-warrior who is later resurrected to become a king, Jon Snow is one of the most critical characters on Game Of Thrones. The dashing Kit Harington certainly has thrown himself into the role, which involves wearing a heavy fur coat and swinging a sword over his head. For this show and for his starring turn in the 2014 movie Pompeii, he’s worked out hard. For the former, he incorporates full-body movements, cables, and yoga into his regimen, and for the latter, he did two hours daily of fight training with weapons, an hour of weight lifting, and an hour of cardio. Harington’s cinematic dance card has previously been stocked with movies set in ancient Rome, the Old West, and medieval-ish times. (And a current day British spy flick for TV.) He has both the regal stance and warrior pride that would work in a Batman movie. We think he’s ready to don some spandex and kick ass in the 21st Century.