The tumultuous tale of the DC Extended Universe continued this past week with a couple of big bits of news which happen to be positive for once. At the time of writing Matt Reeves is set to direct Ben Affleck’s The Batman (I should get rid of the habit of calling it Ben Affleck’s The Batman now he is no longer writing or directing) and Chris McKay who is hot off directing The Lego Batman Movie (read our review here) is in talks to direct a Nightwing movie. Yes, DC is adding even more films to its release slate while movies that have been on said slate for years are stuck in arrested development. A Nightwing movie could be a good call however by exploring and expanding the onscreen Batman mythos without having to actually make a Batman movie which according to DC and Warner Bros executives must be the hardest thing ever. Nightwing could even introduce the Teen Titans and create its own pocket universe inside the DCEU which can be expanded on if movies like Flash and The Batman keep losing writers and directors at the rate they currently are. Or Nightwing could follow suit and never come into fruition but let’s stay positive and get way ahead of ourselves and talk casting. Who could portray a character with such gravitas and has to squeeze his arse into those ludicrously tight pants each and every day? Here are my choices:
Kit Harington
Age is variable when it comes to Nightwing depending on whether they want an origin story of Dick Grayson leaving the persona of Robin behind and becoming Nightwing or if they are aiming for a more seasoned Nightwing. At the moment I’m guessing the Nightwing movie will take place pretty much concurrently with the other DCEU films with an older Batman so I’m choosing Nightwing actors that are mid to late 20s with my oldest choice being Kit Harington who is 30 years old. To be honest it was the hair that attracted me to Harington who is best known as Jon Snow on Game of Thrones. His long locks remind me of Nightwing but there are of course other reasons behind the casting choice. Physicality is a large part of the role and his fighting experience on Game of Thrones will aid him when it comes to using Nightwing’s Escrima sticks and hand-to-hand combat. He’s a fine classically trained actor too as Game of Thrones shows and with the show coming to an end next year he’ll need to be on the lookout for new projects. Outside of TV he hasn’t had the roles to display his talent (the sooner we all forget about Pompeii the better) but Nightwing could be just the role he needs.
Logan Lerman
I wasn’t much of a fan of Lerman until I saw David Ayer’s film Fury which completely flipped my opinions of the actor. Before that he was just Percy Jackson from those meh young adult films but his arc in Fury was mirrored in reality; in went a young inexperienced rookie and out came a much stronger, better actor. He’d need to beef up for the role but he’s of the age (25) where he can portray a convincing Nightwing and flashback to his days as Robin under Ben Affleck’s Batman. His past of working with Ayer might also help him out now that Ayer is working for DC on Gotham City Sirens, a pseudo-sequel to Suicide Squad.
John Boyega
Hot property after Star Wars The Force Awakens, Boyega is currently filming the belated sequel to Pacific Rim and while I enjoy that fun franchise I would prefer to see his talents channelled into the DCEU. The Force Awakens showcased his wide range from comedy to genuine emotional scenes to the majority of moviegoers but it was Attack the Block (directed by Joe Cornish from Adam and Joe) that introduced me to Boyega. He’s a conflicted figure in the film both internally and within the audiences’ opinions and let’s not forget that he has one massive thing going for him in the journey to becoming a superhero. He’s British and Americans sure love casting British people as superheroes.
Daniel Radcliffe
I’m not a big Daniel Radcliffe fan; in fact, I’m not a fan at all. I used to like Harry Potter when I was younger but revisiting it was painful from an acting standpoint. Since then he walked around a house holding a candle in The Woman in Black and played a farting corpse in Swiss Army Man. Truth is I don’t like Daniel Radcliffe. But the thing is I want to. He seems like a nice guy and other people enjoy his movies, he’s just has never had an interesting role in my eyes. I may not even like his portrayal of Nightwing but I’m curious. Morbid curiosity but curiosity none the less.
Taron Egerton
When Spiderman was being recast for his inclusion in the Marvel Cinematic Universe I was all aboard the Taron Egerton train. Having been too old for the role after Marvel made it clear they wanted a high school aged Peter Parker I’ve been keeping an eye out for a superhero role perfect for Egerton and I believe Nightwing is just such a role. After kicking some ass and looking suave doing it in Kingsman, and its upcoming sequel, Egerton could become the breakout action star of his generation and last year’s hidden gem Eddie the Eagle showed he has genuine pathos. A combination perfect for Nightwing.
Alden Ehrenreich
Unlike some I really enjoyed last year’s Coen Brothers movie Hail Caesar which introduced the world to Alden Ehrenreich. Sure, he had acted before but Hail Caesar was undoubtedly his breakout role as a charismatic but dim-witted movie star. Since then he has been cast in the untitled Han Solo movie as the titular smuggler. I say untitled but I think we all know it’s going to be called Solo: A Star Wars Story. If they ever recast Indiana Jones (which I want to see happen) he’s the guy I want to see don the fedora but there is more he can do than just be a young Harrison Ford. Picking up Ehrenreich would be a steal for DC and based on his lassoing skills in Hail Caesar I’m sure he’d be good with those Escrima sticks.
Who do you want to portray Nightwing on the big screen? Let me know in the comments and geek out with me about DC (or Marvel) on Twitter @kylebrrtt.
