Kit Harington could be donning the Batman suit by next year. That is if casting the new billionaire caped superhero for the upcoming film from director Matt Reeves would be up to the fans.
Bookies in the U.K. have reportedly been collecting bets for who could possibly be the next Batman. Harington is among the top favorites to replace Ben Affleck, who recently confirmed that he's passing the torch to a new actor, as per Deadline.
Fans think that aside from Harington, who famously played the King in the North Jon Snow on eight seasons of "Game of Thrones," Ansel Egort ("Baby Driver") and Dylan O'Brien ("The Maze Runner") could be right for the part of the Caped Crusader. Harington might also have a tough competition in his "Game of Thrones" brother Richard Madden ("Bodyguard"), who was the original King in the North, since he's also on the bookies' lists.
Other bets also named Nicholas Hoult ("X-Men"), Noah Centineo ("To All The Boys I've Loved Before") and singer Nick Jonas as their choices. Some fans also voted for "Call Me by Your Name" stars Armie Hammer and Timothee Chalamet as their number one picks.
According to industry sources on Twitter, Reeves and Warner Bros want a "familiar" face to play the new Batman and since this upcoming movie will feature a younger version, then someone in his mid40s, such as Affleck, won't likely be right for the part. In fact, the director has a very specific age in mind but that hasn't been revealed so far.
Filming for the new Batman movie, tentatively titled "The Batman" will begin in November. However, it won't be expected in theaters until the spring or summer of 2021.
Reeves, who also wrote the screenplay after Affleck quit writing the movie in 2017, also clued in on the possible story for "The Batman." He told The Hollywood Reporter that the film will have a noir feel and it will focus on the superhero's detective skills and astute ability to catch criminals.
"The Batman" script is said to be 160 pages thick but once the film goes under revision it could dwindle to 100 pages. Casting for the next Batman is expected to begin throughout the spring and fans of the franchise might learn who's the next Caped Crusader by the summer or early fall. Whoever will play get the role will join the likes of Affleck, Michael Keaton, Christian Bale, George Clooney and Val Kilmer, who donned the famous suit in the earlier movies.
