The Race for DC's Next Batman May Have a Surprise Winner

Batman‘s casting odds just experienced a seismic shift.

According to data-driven entertainment research and betting insights from The Action Network, there’s a new favorite tipped to don the cape and cowl.

That actor is Brandon Sklenar, who’s best known for parts in "It Ends With Us" and "1923." Surprisingly, he’s now at the top of the shortlist, with a 33.3% probability of becoming DC’s new live-action Batman.

That’s compared to a 20% probability for "Reacher" star Alan Ritchson, and 16.7% for long-time Hollywood leading man Jake Gyllenhaal. Both are more established actors than Sklenar, but are less likely candidates for several reasons.

One reason is their age. As DC head James Gunn has suggested with "Superman," he’s leaning more towards younger actors capable of growing into the role, like with the current Man of Steel, David Corenswet.

Another reason Sklenar’s leading the table is his relatively light schedule. That’s evident when you stack it against Ritchson’s growing "Reacher" commitments and Gyllenhaal’s long list of upcoming projects. According to IMDB, Gyllenhaal has nine films in production, including “Road House 2,” and an adaptation of Ubisoft video game “The Division.”

The role of Batman is nothing if not demanding, requiring whoever plays them to maintain a strict workout regime and peak conditioning (even if Robert Pattinson somewhat bucked the trend.) Obligations to appear in crossovers and cameos are also likely, and these tend to take precedent over everything else.

Who is the Batman Actor?

Currently, Pattinson is DC’s Batman of choice. He’s playing the Gotham hero next in "The Batman: Part 2," releasing Oct. 2027.

It’s not known when he’s going to hang up his cape, but when he does, there are always actors waiting in the wings to take on the role. While odds are always shifting, right now Sklenar looks to be next in contention.

The next Batman film after "The Batman: Part 2" is expected to be "The Brave and the Bold." This is when DC and Gunn could unveil their new Batman to take the DCU forward.

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This story was originally published May 7, 2026 at 8:02 PM.