Alan Ritchson Confirms He’s in Talks With DC to Play Non-Batman Character
Appearing at San Diego Comic-Con, the ‘Reacher’ star addressed years of Batman casting speculation, revealing he and DC Studios are in active conversations about an unspecified role.
Alan Ritchson has officially pumped the brakes on any talk involving him playing Batman in the future.
Speaking on the Reacher panel on Sunday (July 26), the final day of San Diego Comic-Con, the actor told the crowd he feels compelled to put years of Batman casting chatter to rest, revealing that his ongoing talks with DC Studios have pivoted to a different character entirely.
“I feel like I have to address this because it comes up all the time. I don’t ever wanna lead somebody on,” Ritchson said. “I’ve had a lot of conversations with DC about what to do because we would like to work together.”
While explaining that he’s of the mindset of “never say never” as it pertains to “maybe” playing Batman in the future, Ritchson said he doesn’t think it’s “in the cards” for him because he and DC are “having conversations about another character.”
The comments came after the panel moderator brought up Batman following Ritchson’s mention that he is booked solid through 2028. He paused and chose his words carefully, seemingly wary of straying into legally sensitive territory. The Reacher actor didn’t name the specific character he is in conversations to play.
Batman fandom had long latched onto Ritchson as an ideal candidate for the Caped Crusader following James Gunn’s 2025 DCU reboot with Superman.
During an appearance on the Bro Bible’s Post Cred Podcast in February 2024, Ritchson had been open about the appeal: “The fact that people are interested in me playing Batman is a real honor and privilege… It’s one of the first characters I fell in love with as a child… I would absolutely love to,” he said.
In the meantime, Reacher Season 4 arrives August 12 on Prime Video. The trailer, centered on a deadly New York conspiracy, was revealed at SDCC. Season 5 is already in production, and a spin-off series, Neagley, starring Maria Sten, also got its trailer Saturday.
