For a long time, we’ve been hearing how Alan Ritchson should play Batman in the DC Universe. Now, Peter Safran has confirmed to Collider that he and his fellow DC Studios co-head James Gunn have indeed spoken to the “Reacher” star. But it seems he could be in line for a very different role, as the actor is rumored to be in consideration for a Bane and Deathstroke movie.
“We talked about a couple things,” Safran told Collider. “But nothing that’s come to fruition at this point. I think [Ritchson is] great […] But he’s just good. I also think there’s a lot more depth to him than you might have seen. I think there’s more that he can do that people haven’t seen.” The DC Studios co-head didn’t clarify which role or roles he and Gunn discussed with Ritchson. But he’s clearly on their radar.
In August 2026, Fortress of DC claimed via X/Twitter that Ritchson had been “discussing roles with DC Studios for some time” and that Bane was one of them. According to the Tweet, Ritchson was “likely to land the part and star in the Deathstroke & Bane movie,” while Josh Brolin was also being considered for the part of Deathstroke. The following day, however, scooper Jeff Sneider appeared on “The Hot Mic” and addressed those rumors, claiming that Ritchson was instead being considered for Deathstroke and not Bane. “Maybe that’s why those conversations ended,” Sneider said, “because [Ritchson] ended up being Bane instead. But I did hear him for that project.”
As of now, there’s been no official confirmation from DC Studios on which projects have been discussed with the “Reacher” star. Still, it certainly sounds like we might see him in Gunn’s burgeoning cinematic universe soon.
Alan Ritchson will almost certainly appear in the DC Universe, but nothing’s official
We’ve known since 2024 that DC Studios was planning to bring two brutal comic book movie villains together in a Bane and Deathstroke movie. In October 2026, Deadline reported that the film would be titled “Savage Hunters” and that it was in early development. But until Fortress of DC’s tweet, there’d been no mention of Alan Ritchson as being in contention for one of the main roles in the project. For the most part, as mentioned earlier, the actor’s name has instead been mentioned in connection to Batman — though DC Studios never confirmed he was being considered for that role, either.
In July 2026, Ritchson did reveal to Josh Horowitz that he had been talking to James Gunn about a role in the DC Universe. “I really respect James,” he said. “I would like to do something with James. James would like to do something with me […] There could be a bright future for us, and there have been a lot of conversations.”
For now, it remains unclear exactly what part, if any, Ritchson will play in the DC Universe. But at this point, it seems almost certain he’ll show up in the franchise in the future. The actor has become a big star in the wake of “Reacher” and has since tried to demonstrate his range with roles in everything from the deeply emotional drama “Ordinary Angels” (one of Ritchson’s best non-Jack Reacher roles) to blockbusters such as “Fast X.” There’s no doubt his physicality lends itself to a superhero movie of some sort, but for now, we’ll have to await further updates to find out whether Ritchson will, in fact, join the DC Universe and who he’ll be playing.
