Alan Ritchson was reportedly close to a huge DCU role

I was about to write a whole tirade about Alan Ritchson angling for Batman (again), but here's an interesting twist — it turns out he nearly landed a major DCU role, just not the one with the pointy ears. This comes from a report doing the rounds, so let's not go carving anything in bat-shaped stone just yet. But it's juicy enough to break down.

Ritchson and the DCU Dance

So, Ritchson — best known these days for Reacher — seems to have spent the last couple of years lobbying pretty hard to become Gunn's new Batman. He's even admitted as much in interviews, saying yeah, he and James Gunn have had chats about a DC role that might fit. Problem: apparently the most recent character tossed his way wasn't the Caped Crusader at all, but Deathstroke.

According to reporter Jeff Sneider (on The Hot Mic podcast, if you fancy tracking down the audio evidence), there were real talks about Ritchson donning the eyepatch for a Bane/Deathstroke crossover flick. That lines up with previous bits of gossip from Fortress of DC on X, who've claimed the same thing. For what it's worth, DC Studios have issued precisely zero comments on all this, so treat it as plausible but unconfirmed. Whether Ritchson actually signed, or if it all fizzled, remains a mystery.

There have been ongoing reports of a Deathstroke/Bane film in development for more than two years.

Interesting sidebar: Ritchson's hardly a stranger to DC types. He played bloody Aquaman back in the Smallville era (arguably one of the first screen versions that didn't instantly get laughed out the sea). As for Deathstroke, fans might recall Joe Manganiello wielding the mask in Snyder's Justice League. Almost feels like every DC actor gets rotated through again eventually.

So, What's the Deal With This Movie?

The Deathstroke/Bane crossover project itself? That's been kicking around as an idea for ages — over two years of development chatter, by most accounts. Not that they've got a script yet (standard these days), but sources reckon writer Matthew Orton is on the case, with Greg Mottola apparently leading the director shortlist. The whole thing is still pretty vague: no plot specifics, no solid info on whether Batman himself pops up, not even a confirmed release date. Classic DCU fog-of-war stuff, honestly.

Worth knowing: the DCU will be poking its face back into Gotham later this year with Clayface — which, confusingly, is separate from both the long-discussed The Brave and the Bold and The Batman Part II (that sequel is part of its own little isolated universe, if you're keeping score at home).