House of the Dragon star ignites Nightwing fancasting frenzy, calls on James Gunn to make it happen

If you pay even a bit of attention to DC fan chatter these days, you’ll have seen the speculation doing the rounds about who should play Nightwing in the new on-screen universe. It’s all a bit of a guessing game at the moment – but here’s where it gets interesting: Harry Collett, the lad from House of the Dragon, has just gone and thrown his own hat into the ring. Yes, he actually addressed the fan campaign directly, and even had a cheeky word for James Gunn himself.

How Harry Collett Actually Responded

So, here’s what happened. Collett’s been a regular name dropped in all these ‘Who should play Dick Grayson?’ debates. And during a press interview for House of the Dragon series three, Comicbook’s Chris Killian put it to him: if he could play any comic character, who would he go for?

Collett admitted he’s not ultra-familiar with Nightwing yet – he’s actually still learning about the character – but apparently, people slide into his DMs about it all the time. Killian then pointed out what most fans have noticed: Collett’s definitely got that Grayson look. That’s when Harry took the moment to play along, grinning and saying,

'James Gunn, please.'

No subtlety there. He knows what the fans are up to and he’s clearly game for the role. Can’t blame him; who wouldn’t fancy putting on that suit?

Where DC Studios Actually Is With Nightwing – And What Gunn Has Said

• Despite all the hype, DC Studios aren’t anywhere close to casting yet. James Gunn’s made it clear: nothing will happen until he’s completely sold on the script. And if rumours are right, the screenplay for The Brave and the Bold is still being hammered into shape. Don’t expect casting news for ages.
• The timing is also up in the air. Gunn’s previously said – during a podcast, no less – that he doesn’t want The Brave and the Bold landing the same year as Matt Reeves’s The Batman Part II, which currently points to October 2027 for that release. If he sticks to his word, it suggests the actual Bat-Family debut in the DCU might be even later.
• Still, there have been some suspiciously obvious clues dropped. Promo photos for the upcoming Clayface film showed off references to the Flying Graysons. That all but confirms Dick Grayson is out there somewhere in Gunn’s new continuity. The big question: is he already Nightwing, or is his superhero upgrade still to come?

For now, it’s all talk, with no real movement from the studio. But it’s hard not to laugh when a fan campaign gets picked up by the actor himself—and he’s not exactly being shy about wanting Gunn’s attention. If this actually goes anywhere, just remember: you probably saw it first in the chaos of Twitter/X fan casting threads.