Black Panther star Winston Duke has made it known that he wants to portray the DC Universe‘s Bruce Wayne/Batman.
During an interview with /Film to promote The Fall Guy, Duke revealed his interest in playing the iconic DC superhero, saying with a laugh, “Listen, man, can you start that [campaign]? [Laughs] I would say I challenge you to get on all these socials and push for me. Get your community.”
The actor continued, “I would love to. I would love to do that as Batman. I’d love any opportunity to explore new characters, to change narratives around some of these entrenched ideas of how these characters are supposed to look, sound, and perform. I’m all for it.”
Winston Duke previously voiced Batman
Duke does have some experience as the Caped Crusader. He previously voiced Bruce Wayne/Batman in Spotify’s scripted podcast, Batman Unburied, opposite Hasan Minhaj as The Riddler, Gina Rodriguez as Barbara Gordon, and Jason Isaacs as Alfred Pennyworth. The 10-episode series reimagined Bruce Wayne as a forensic pathologist with no memory of being Batman, leaving Barbara to turn to the Riddler for help taking down the latest serial killer plaguing Gotham’s streets, The Harvester.
While Batman Unburied was renewed for a second season in 2022, it is unknown if Duke will return to voice the title hero. He was previously replaced in the role by Colman Domingo for the 2023 spinoff series, The Riddler: Secrets in the Dark, which brought back Rodriguez, Isaacs, and Minhaj as Barbara, Alfred, and The Riddler, respectively.
Batman expected to make DCU debut in new movie
At the time of writing, Batman is expected to make his first appearance in the DCU in The Brave and the Bold, which is set to be directed by The Flash helmer Andy Muschietti. While exact plot details remain unknown, DC Studios head James Gunn previously revealed that the upcoming movie would pull inspiration from writer Grant Morrison and artist Any Kubert’s run on DC Comics’ Batman, specifically the 2006 comic book story arc, “Batman and Son”.
The comic book storyline is largely remembered among the DC fandom for adding Bruce Wayne’s son, Damian, to the main DC Comics continuity. This followed his non-canon debut as an unnamed infant in the 1987 graphic novel, Batman: Son of the Demon.
The Brave and the Bold does not yet have a release date.
