DCU fans losing their minds over Batman casting tease

James Gunn has addressed the burning question of who will play Batman in his brand-new DC cinematic universe, and it might just have sent fans over the edge.

The DCU kicked off with a resounding bang last week with the long-awaited release of Superman.

Lead by David Corenswet, this more optimistic Man Of Steel has already soared past $300 million at the global box office, proving there's definitely room for a second cinematic universe alongside the MCU.

So what's next for the DCU? We know Superman will be back, of course.

We also have Supergirl to look forward to next year, and it's been reported that a new Wonder Woman movie has been fast-tracked.

But what about Batman? Matt Reeves is continuing to (slowly) work on The Batman Part II, but Gunn is developing a separate version of the character to share a universe - and one day, a screen - with Corenswet's Superman.

While Robert Pattinson will continue to play Batman in Reeves' darker, more grounded universe, we can expect a new actor as The Dark Knight in Gunn's universe.

Casting for the new Batman has yet to be officially confirmed, but Gunn has acknowledged that he's aware of one of the more popular fancasts.

Speaking on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Gunn touched on the desire to see Alan Ritchson (Reacher) as the new Batman.

“I am a big Alan Ritchson fan, both as an actor and as a guy," he said. "Let's just wait to see what happens.”

To the casual observer, this could certainly be seen as a little bit of a tease from Gunn. Has he already spoken with Ritchson? He definitely has the perfect surname to play a billionaire playboy.

It's also worth noting Ritchson himself has said he'd be up for taking on the role multiple times over the years.

"There is no one I want more to play Batman than Ritchson," one fan wrote on Twitter. "Perfect build for a comic book Batman."

Another added: "I said it once and I’ll say it again Reacher was the only right answer. IN JAMES GUNN WE TRUST!!!!!!"