Reacher star Alan Ritchson reveals that he was the frontrunner for an early MCU superhero but blew his audition by not taking it seriously.
Reacher star Alan Ritchson’s career could have looked a lot different if he had not blown an audition for a major Phase 1 Marvel Cinematic Universe superhero back in the early 2010s.
Speaking with Men’s Health, Ritchson revealed that he had auditioned for the title role in Marvel Studios’ 2011 movie, Thor. “I didn’t take it seriously,” he recalled. “I was like, ‘They’ll throw me the part if I look like the guy; nobody really cares about acting.'” According to the actor, he was told after the audition that the role had been his to lose, but that he hadn’t shown Marvel that he had “the craft.” The role of Thor Odinson eventually went to Chris Hemsworth, while Ritchson would go on to play a different superhero, Hank Hall/Hawk, in the DC series, Titans.
DC Fans Want Alan Ritchson to Play Batman
Besides Hawk in Titans, Ritchson recurred as Arthur Curry/Aquaman in the fan-favorite Superman prequel series, Smallville, between 2005 and 2010. He also played Raphael in the Michael Bay-produced live-action/CG Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movies (2014–16). Despite having three distinct superhero roles under his belt, there is still a desire from the fandom to see him step into another comic book role. For instance, many DC fans have begun campaigning for Ritchson to play Bruce Wayne/Batman in James Gunn’s forthcoming DC Universe, beginning with the movie The Brave and the Bold. With Gunn’s DCU set to introduce Batman’s son, Damian Wayne, Ritchson could be the right age for the role at 41 years old.
When recently asked if he’d be interested in donning the iconic cape and cowl for Gunn, Ritchson said, “The fact that people are interested in me playing Batman is a real honor and privilege. It’s one of the first characters I fell in love with as a child: I still remember the big, long pistol coming out of Joker’s pants as he goes to shoot down the Batplane.” He continued, “… I would love to. I would absolutely love to. It’s one of the coolest characters of all time.”
Alan Ritchson Working on Blue Mountain State Sequel Series
In addition to his multiyear first-look movie deal with Amazon MGM Studios, Ritchson has begun developing a sequel series to his popular comedy series, Blue Mountain State, which ran on Spike for three seasons between 2010 and 2011. Ritchson is set to reprise his role as star football player Kevin “Thad” Castle in the sequel series, with Darin Brooks and Chris Romano also confirmed to return as quarterback Alex Moran and team mascot Sampson “Sammy” Cacciatore, respectively. Story details have not been revealed at this time and there is also no word on where the show might land.
