Tim Falkenberg October 17th, 2014 - 5:33 PM
Let’s stress up top that, as it stands now, this is unconfirmed (and in fact Warner Bros. has declined public comment so far), but news reports from Michigan, where Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice is currently filming, have suggested that not only does Robin appear in the movie, but that it will be the female variant of the character present, and will be played by Jena Malone. Malone is about to hit the big screen in Paul Thomas Anderson’s Inherent Vice, and is no stranger to action; two of her more recent roles were in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire and the Zack Snyder-directed Sucker Punch.
Most will probably know Dick Grayson as Robin, but there have actually been a number of different characters to don the mantle of the Boy Wonder through the history of Batman comics. Malone’s casting (if confirmed) actually makes a lot of sense given the heavy influence from Frank Miller’s seminal graphic novel The Dark Knight Returns that Batman vs Superman has had in evidence since its announcement. In that book, a young Carrie Kelley pretends to be Robin before taking on the position more officially after helping Batman defeat a gang of thugs. Again, it’s nothing official, but Malone’s suddenly red hair and history with Snyder corroborate the report from the set, which you can see here. Jump forward to about 1:45 on the video if you just want to hear the bit about Robin, although there’s a glimpse at a few scene details beforehand if you’re interested.
Robin’s entry into the Batman vs Superman fray also begs questions about another character we’ve heard very little about since around this time last year: Nightwing. Early reports were that Adam Driver was being considered for the role (though keep in mind the character has not been confirmed in the movie), though that would see less likely now that he’s been cast in Star Wars, which is also currently shooting. Also worth keeping in mind, Batman vs Superman may be packed with cameos, but as a member of the Bat-family and without a standalone movie being planned, it would seem like Nightwing would need more than a single scene appearance to justify his own presence, and that role might be too similar to whatever Robin’s part proves to be.
This report has too much evidence to avoid comment from Warner Bros. for long, and we’ll bring you the official word, whichever way it breaks, as soon as we have it.
