Casting The Bat Family For The DC Universe’s Batman Movie

Little is yet known about DC’s Batman: The Brave and the Bold, but teases that the movie will feature at least some of the Bat Family have sparked discussions over who should play the protectors of Gotham. While Batman has often been seen on the big screen with one Robin, comic readers know that Batman’s allies are far more expansive than one sidekick. Some of the best Batman-related TV shows have dived more deeply into Robins, Batwomen, and more, but it’s looking like they’ll finally have their time to shine in a feature film.

It seems unlikely that Batman: The Brave and the Bold‘s cast will include every member of the Bat Family, but with Superman: Legacy already sporting an exciting and deep cast of supporting characters, anything is possible. The decision to expand the focus from Bruce to his crime-fighting family is a smart one. While the Caped Crusader is often portrayed in media as a bit of a recluse, his allies provide contrast and showcase a more paternal side to Bruce often skipped over.

10 Aidan Gallagher As Robin (Damian Wayne)

Known For The Umbrella Academy

Not much is yet known about the cast of Batman: The Brave and the Bold, but it has been confirmed that Damian Wayne will play an important role. In DC Comics, Damian is one of several people to operate under the mantle of Robin, but he stands apart as the only member of the Bat Family biologically related to Bruce Wayne. The son of Batman and Talia al Ghul, Damian is perhaps the best hand-to-hand combatant of all the Robins, and he’s got the sharp attitude to match.

The key to nailing Damien Wayne in live-action is expressing his incredible self-confidence and sometimes antagonistic drive to be better than everyone else. Aidan Gallagher has shown that same infallible confidence and antagonistic-but-ultimately-loving feeling of annoyance and rivalry with his family in his role as Number Five in The Umbrella Academy. Gallagher, currently age 20, is a bit older than Damian (usually in hi mid-teens), but he’s close enough that simply aging Damien up a few years and having Gallagher play a year or two younger than he really is shouldn’t be a problem.

9 Timothée Chalamet As Nightwing (Dick Grayson)

Known For Dune, Call Me By Your Name, And Wonka

With The Brave and the Bold featuring Damian Wayne, who is traditionally a younger Robin taking on the name after several others, it makes sense that the movie will also feature previous Boy Wonders like Dick Grayson. Moreover, it would make sense for Dick to be slightly older and operate under his post-Robin superhero identity, Nightwing. Dick Grayson is an interesting mix of affable, cocky, and serious, traits that Chalamet has shown across various roles like Paul Atreides in Dune. At 27, Chalamet is the perfect age to play Dick Grayson after his time as Robin is behind him.

8 Tanner Buchanan As Red Hood (Jason Todd)

Know For Cobra Kai And He’s All That

Jason Todd’s tragic story is one of the most compelling in the Batman mythos, and it’s perfect for a big-screen adaptation. Jason Todd takes over as Batman’s second Robin, but he’s tragically killed by the Joker. After he’s revived, he becomes furious with Bruce for refusing to kill the villain and adopts the deadly Red Hood persona. Though the two eventually develop a working relationship, Todd’s death and anger bring to light an interesting examination of Batman’s “no-kill” rule and its effect on the victims of his villains.

Tanner Buchanon has already showcased his ability to play this kind of role via his time as Robby Keene in Kobra Kai. Like Todd, Robby feels a conflicting mix of anger and betrayal over a perceived betrayal by his father, and he turns to violence to address it. Buchanan’s time on Kobra Kai also means he has experience filming combat, though Jason Todd grows to prefer guns to fists. At 24, Buchanan is old enough to play a character who has gone through time as Robin and evolved into the morally complex Red Hood.

7 Leslie Grace As Batgirl (Barbara Gordon)

Know For In The Heights

Leslie Grace is an interesting contender to play Barbara Gordon, aka Batgirl, since she both has and hasn’t already played the character in a movie. Grace played Gordon in the doomed Batgirl movie on Max, which was unceremoniously canceled after the movie was completely finished. Leslie Grace doesn’t have a terribly long list of movie credentials, but she seems like a natural fit, given that she’s already gone through the entire process of filming a movie as Batgirl. What’s more, photos of her in the Batgirl costume look like a perfect adaptation of the source material.

6 Momona Tamada As Batgirl Or Orphan (Cassandra Cain)

Known For The Baby-Sitters Club

Cassandra Cain was featured in Birds of Prey, one of several successful R-rated DC movies. However, despite the movie being a fun project, it presented Cassandra Cain as a fairly generic character devoid of most ties to her comic origins. The daughter of two assassins, Cassandra is notable for her incredible skills in hand-to-hand combat. As such, Momona Tamada could be a good fit. Though she hasn’t yet shown a penchant for on-screen combat, her casting as skilled combatant Ty Lee in the live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender series implies she’ll be going through plenty of martial arts training to prepare.

5 Emmy Rossum As Batwoman (Kate Kane)

Know For Shameless, The Phantom of the Opera, And Beautiful Creatures

Kate Kane’s Batwoman has yet to appear in a live-action movie, but she’d be an interesting addition to The Brave and the Bold. Traditionally a bit older than the various Batgirls, Kate shares some striking similarities to Bruce Wayne. Also the wealthy heir to a family fortune, Kane is inspired by Batman to fight crime in Gotham. Rossum hasn’t yet starred in an action-heavy role, but her time as Fiona Gallagher in Shameless showcases her ability to express the struggle between doing what’s right and what’s easy.

4 Otto Farrant As Red Robin (Tim Drake)

Know For Alex Rider

Tim Drake was Batman’s second Robin after Dick Grayson, and what separates him from the others is his incredible skills as a detective. The young man deduces Dick Grayson’s identity by comparing Robin’s movements with Grayson’s acrobatic routines and, from there, meets Bruce Wayne/Batman. While The Brave and the Bold could feature Tim Drake as either Robin or Red Robin (his superhero persona after growing up a bit), Otto Farrant’s biggest role makes him a good fit. Farrant is most known for Alex Rider, in which he plays a young man secretly operating as a spy for M16.

3 John Boyega As Batwing (Luke Fox)

Known For Star Wars Episodes VII-IX, Attack The Block, And The Woman King

At 31 years old, John Boyega may not seem like a natural fit for the Bat Family. However, The Brave and the Bold may want to flesh out a more experienced Batman’s history with partners from his younger days. Luke Fox is the son of Batman associate Lucious Fox, inheriting his father’s business and technological acumen. Boyega has experience in blockbusters via his time as Finn in the Star Wars sequel trilogy, which also required training for combat scenes and heavy action. The DCU could also mix in elements of the other Batwing, David Zavimbe, and position Luke as a prominent figure in Batman’s international organization, Batman, Inc.

2 Chance Perdomo As The Signal (Duke Thomas)

Known For Gen V And Chilling Adventures of Sabrina

Chance Perdomo doesn’t have a terribly long list of acting credits to his name yet, but he shows a great proclivity for playing superheroes in Gen V season one. There, he plays Polarity, a young hero with magnetic abilities akin to Magneto. This experience in a violent superhero franchise, in which he showcases comfort with action scenes mixed with both comedy and drama, is a perfect match for Duke. In DC Comics, Duke, aka The Signal, is a Batman-like figure who guards Gotham City during the daytime hours.

1 Jensen Ackles As Batman (Bruce Wayne)

Known For Supernatural, The Boys, And Batman: The Long Halloween

Jensen Ackles is one of the most popular fan casts for The Brave and the Bold‘s Batman, and for good reason. On a surface level, he’s shown in roles such as Soldier Boy (The Boys) and Dead Winchester (Supernatural) that he can nail the calm intensity of Bruce Wayne while simultaneously exuding the charisma Bruce Wayne can give off in social settings. Moreover, he’s already been in several animated Batman movies like Batman: The Long Halloween (voicing Batman) and Batman: Under the Red Hood (voicing Jason Todd). At 45 years old, Ackles is also the perfect age to play an older Dark Knight in Batman: The Brave and the Bold.