When it was first announced that the follow up to Man of Steel would be crossover between Superman and a new Batman, and it would start the lead-in to an actual Justice League movie, fans were understandably excited. Batman and Superman, DC’s two biggest heroes, would at last be on the big screen together after a number of highly successful, but wholly separate, movies to themselves. Now it’s increasingly looking like they’ll be sharing the space with several other heavy hitters in the DC stable. The latest rumor, courtesy of the Latino Review, is that Warner Bros. is actively casting actors and stunt men for Dick Grayson aka Nightwing, and (according to The Wrap) Adam Driver could be at the top of the short list.
Most will be more familiar with Dick Grayson as Robin, but according to the DC comics cannon, Grayson had a falling out with Batman/Bruce Wayne went on to operate solo as Nightwing. Batman vs. Superman will apparently introduce the character in the middle of this feud. There’s still no word on a plot synopsis for the movie, but it’s beginning to look very full, particularly if Nightwing’s appearance is anything more than a minor role or cameo.
As of the time of this posting, Warner Bros has (perhaps predictably) refrained from commenting on the Adam Driver rumors. Driver, who appeared in Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln and has a leading role in HBO’s Girls, looks the part at 6’3”, although we here at mxdwn Movies are of the opinion that Warner Bros. would do well not to reach much older (he’s 29). We will say that, as he’s a former Marine, we hold no qualms as to how he’d handle the physical aspects of the role.
It seems two other actors are also on the short list, but Driver’s is the only name which has surfaced at this point.
Nightwing isn’t the only DC character lining up an appearance in Batman vs. Superman, and perhaps not the only one to play an important role in the story, either. A leaked character description which calls for Batman’s love interest to be “Tall, brunette, athletic and exotic” could apply to a number of women, but absolutely fits Wonder Woman’s physical attributes. There have also been a number of unconfirmed reports which list a stable of action movie vets including Jaimie Alexander (Thor), Olga Kurylenko (Quantum of Solace), Elodie Young (G.I. Joe: Retaliation), and Gal Godot (Fast & Furious 6) in conjunction with the Batman vs. Superman role, Wonder Woman, or both. Wonder Woman has been, at times, a serious love interest for Batman in the DC canon.
Finally, there’s a possibility that The Flash will be making an appearance in Batman vs. Superman ahead of his solo movie planned for 2016. That would make four of the core characters of the Justice League showing up in the movie in some capacity. Back in July we opined on some potential choices for the Justice League cast, but were wary of the number of characters such a movie might safely be able to introduce or focus on. But if Batman vs. Superman introduces, or moreover, gives serious screen time to characters like Wonder Woman and The Flash, it seems more likely that a deeper roster of Justice Leaguers could appear come 2017.
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