Brandon Sklenar on Fan-Casting as Batman: “That Would Be a Dream—I’m Built for It”

The DCU technically began with the animated series Creature Commandos, but both Safran and Gunn consider the upcoming Superman film to be the true launch of this new cinematic universe.

Several other projects have already been confirmed, including Lanterns live-action TV show focusing on a notable trio of Green Lanterns, and Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, with Milly Alcock set to play the DCU’s Supergirl. Additionally, Paradise Lost—a TV series exploring the lore of Themyscira and Wonder Woman’s origins—is also in development.

While some of the biggest roles in the DCU have been cast, including Superman, Lex Luthor, and Supergirl, one major question remains unanswered: Who will play Batman in this new universe?

Brandon Sklenar recently spoke with The Playlist about rumors that he’s being considered for the lead role in Marvel’s Nova series on Disney+, playing Richard Rider. He said he hadn’t heard about it before but mentioned he might be meeting with Marvel Studios and Kevin Feige soon.

Sklenar also shared that playing Batman in The Brave & The Bold for the DCU would be a “dream role” for him. His It Ends With Us co-star Blake Lively had previously supported fan-casting him as Batman.

Sklenar said he finds the fan-casting for Batman in The Brave & The Bold interesting and that playing the role would be a dream for him. He believes he’s “built for it” but added that any role he takes would need to be the right fit at the right time.

“I’ve seen a bunch of fan-casting for this Batman thing [“The Bave & The Bold”] and that’s very interesting to me, I love Batman. That would be a dream, for sure. But we’ll see what happens, I’m built for it.”

The Brave and the Bold will introduce the DCU’s version of Batman and focus on his relationship with his son, Damian Wayne, who becomes Robin. James Gunn described it as a “strange father and son story” inspired by Grant Morrison’s comic run.

Ben Affleck won’t return as Batman, and Matt Reeves’ The Batman films will remain separate under the DC Elseworlds label. Andy Muschietti was hired to direct in June 2023, but by December 2024, development was delayed due to his other projects and to avoid clashing with The Batman sequel.

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