Alan Ritchson is one of today’s most popular actors, riding high from the success of his hit Prime Video series Reacher. However, he is hoping that Batman will be his next major role, as the actor is now actively campaigning to play the Dark Knight. Ritchson openly expressed his enthusiasm at possibly playing the role when he was asked about which character he’d rather portray between Batman and Joker.

“Joaquin Phoenix crushed it; there’s no following that. I would love to play Batman,” Ritchson said, per THR. “There, I said it, okay? I’ll shout it from the rooftops: ‘I wanna be Bruce Wayne!’ Here’s the thing about Batman. You know what his superpower is? Intelligence. Dude is the smartest superhero there is. He’s inventive, and he’s got all the gadgets, but he’s super smart. I want to be that guy. And, also, to have a cave with, like hypercars, sports cars, and awesome motorcycles.”

Some fans are on board with the idea of Alan Ritchson as Batman, which has been imagined in fan-made artwork. Ritchson has commented on the possibility of playing the role on previous occasions as well, at one point noting that he would “absolutely love” to play the iconic character. He could potentially be up for the role when it comes time to cast The Brave and the Bold, the DCU’s upcoming film that will follow Batman and Robin, but it’s unclear when production and the casting process may begin.

Robert Pattinson Will Return as the Dark Knight

While the future of Batman in the DCU is unclear, the character will return to the big screen in a DC Elseworlds film. Robert Pattinson will reprise his role from The Batman in an upcoming sequel, though the wait for the movie will be longer than previously thought. The film was originally set to be released in 2025, but that was recently pushed back to October 2026. In the meantime, a spinoff series, Max’s The Penguin, will be released later in 2024, though it’s not known if Pattinson’s Batman will make an appearance.

As for Alan Ritchson, he continues to star in Reacher, which has a third season currently in development. He will also star in an upcoming Blue Mountain State sequel series. In film, Ritchson will soon be on the big screen with his role alongside Henry Cavill in Guy Ritchie’s The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare. The movie releases on April 19.