Reacher Star Alan Ritchson Wants To Replace Ben Affleck As The DCU's Batman
Now that James Gunn and Peter Safran are leading Warner Bros.' TV and Movie division, is it too much of a stretch to think the star of "Reacher" could play the new DC Universe's Batman?
While Robert Pattison has established his own version of the Caped Crusader for Warner Bros. and DC under the direction of Matt Reeves, there's still a vacancy for the role of Bruce Wayne-Batman in Gunn's and Safran's new DC Universe.
Starting with David Corenswet taking over for Henry Cavill as Clark Kent-Superman, the duo in charge of DC's upcoming film slate is largely replacing the cast members of Zack Snyder's DC Extended Universe, including Ben Affleck as Batman. Ironically, Fortress of Solitude pointed out in an interview with Ritchson that Affleck's old pal and collaborator, Kevin Smith, called Ritchson's Reacher "Batman without a cape," sparking a rumor that the actor could embody the comic book icon.
"With all the rumors flying that I'm supposed to be playing Batman, how can I knock Batman?" Ritchson responded to Fortress of Solitude with a laugh. "I would love to play Batman." Ritchson then pointed out the differences between Reacher and the famed DC character. "You know, [Batman without a cape] is a great analogy, actually. But I mean, Batman has got like a cave, and Reacher doesn't even have a house. He's got a toothbrush. So, I think Batman has got cool stuff. Dude is loaded and has caves, penthouses, and spotlights that call him. Batman's cooler."
Ritchson is back as Reacher in Season 2
During his interview with Fortress of Solitude, Alan Ritchson also gave his opinion on who was tougher between Jack Reacher and Batman, noting that his character of few means could stand tough against the billionaire with everything at his disposal. "Reacher would be harder to go down in a fight," Ritchson said. "Just him and his toothbrush, and [Batman would] be like, 'Damn, he's holding on. It's been 30 minutes.' So, it would be fun."
If Ritchson, who previously played Aquaman on "Smallville" and Hawk on "Titans," is actually considered to play Batman in James Gunn's and Peter Safran's DCU, he certainly has the height to pull off the role. Former Batman Ben Affleck is 6-foot-2 1/4, while Ritchson stands at 6-foot-3. Oddly enough, Ritchson almost didn't play Reacher over one minor (but important) detail. In author Lee Child's Jack Reacher book series, the character is 6-foot-5. The production, fortunately, let the height differential between Ritchson and the fictional character slide.
By the way, Ritchson isn't kidding about Reacher only having a toothbrush, as it's one of the few possessions the former Army Military Police veteran has in "Reacher" Season 2. Based on "Bad Luck and Trouble" — Child's 11th Jack Reacher book — Reacher begins a new probe after the murder of former soldiers who were a part of his 110th Special Investigations Unit.
"Reacher" Season 2 is streaming on Amazon Prime.