DCU Fans’ Batman Pick Gets Ringing Endorsement From Green Lantern Star

One of the DC fandom’s picks to play Batman in the DC Universe has just been approved by Green Lantern alum Blake Lively. The actor, who portrayed Carol Ferris in the 2011 DC movie, recently agreed that Brandon Sklenar would make an excellent Dark Knight for James Gunn’s shared universe.

Sklenar has been at the top of many Batman fan casting wishlists following his breakout role as Spencer Dutton in the Yellowstone spinoff 1923. However, the possible casting reached new heights yesterday when Lively endorsed Sklenar, who she worked with on 2024’s It Ends with Us, for the role. The Green Lantern actor took to the comments of Sklenar’s latest Instagram post (via X) to congratulate him on his latest gig, The Olympian, and to share that she is in favor of Gunn casting him as the DCU’s Batman. “I’m seeing this Batman chatter. I volunteer yourself as tribute,” she wrote. “[James Gunn] knows how to give the people what they need. And this, they need.”

Sklenar, who had previously told a DCU fan in his comments that Batman was his “favorite hero always and forever,” replied to Lively’s comment with three emojis: a red heart, a bat, and a smiley face.

No casting has been announced yet for the DCU movie, The Brave and the Bold, which is expected to feature the first appearance of the universe’s Caped Crusader. However, Sklenar is not the first age-appropriate actor to throw their hat in the ring for the role. In March 2024, Jake Gyllenhaal — who portrayed supervillain Mysterio in Marvel Studios’ Spider-Man: Far From Home — said that “it would be an honor always [to play Batman]. Those types of things and those roles are classics.”

Another Marvel Cinematic Universe star, Black Panther‘s Winston Duke (M’Baku), also wants a crack at playing the DCU’s Batman. In May 2024, while promoting The Fall Guy, Duke revealed that he “would love” to play the character for James Gunn’s DCU. Unlike Gyllenhaal, Duke has already played Batman before, voicing the character in the scripted Spotify podcast, Batman Unburied (2022).

However, when it comes to the fans themselves, there are two actors whose names continue to come up time and time again on wishlists: Alan Ritchson, the lead star of Prime Video’s Reacher, and Jensen Ackles, who previously voiced the Dark Knight in the animated Tomorrowverse. Both have repeatedly expressed interest in playing the character on the big screen, with Ritchson stating in April 2024 that he “would love to play Batman.” Ritchson is no stranger to DC adaptations having previously played Aquaman in The CW’s Smallville and Hawk in Max’s Titans, while Ackles, of course, is best known for his co-starring role in Supernatural.

DC Studios has been light on updates regarding The Brave and the Bold, which is not expected to hit theaters until 2027 at the earliest. Andy Muschietti is attached to direct the movie, which will take inspiration from writer Grant Morrison and artist Any Kubert’s run on DC Comics’ Batman, specifically their 2006 comic book story arc, “Batman and Son”, which focuses on Bruce Wayne learning that he has fathered a son, Damian, with Talia al Ghul, the daughter of his nemesis, Ra’s al Ghul.

The first DCU movie, Superman, is slated to hit theaters on July 11, 2025.

Source: Instagram, via X