DCEU: 5 Actors Who Could Play Dick Grayson (& 5 Who Could Play Jason Todd)

Outside of Batman v Superman hinting that the Joker killed Robin, the DC Extended Universe has yet to introduce one of Batman’s young wards, either Dick Grayson or Jason Todd. Robin was previously played by Chris O’Donnell in Batman Forever alongside Val Kilmer’s Batman and in Batman & Robin alongside George Clooney’s Batman.

Batfleck is long gone, and he’s being replaced by a younger Dark Knight, played by Robert Pattinson. A rebooted Batman means a second chance at a DCEU version of Dick or Jason. So, here are five actors who could play Dick Grayson in the DCEU, and five actors who could play Jason Todd.

10 Dick Grayson: Timothée Chalamet

With Robert Pattinson playing a younger version of Batman, he’ll need an even younger Robin. Timothée Chalamet has emerged as one of the finest young actors of the current generation.

His performances in Call Me By Your Name, Beautiful Boy, and Lady Bird were all wildly different and brilliantly drawn. Contrasting with Batman’s bulk, Robin is sleek and acrobatic, and Chalamet has the build to pull that off. He’d also make a good Tim Drake.

9 Jason Todd: Adam Driver

Jason Todd’s brooding grittiness is his U.S.P., so playing the character successfully on the big screen would require serious intensity. Adam Driver has proven his ability to convey such intensity in both family-friendly blockbusters (Kylo Ren in the Star Wars sequel trilogy) and smaller, adult-oriented pieces (Silence, BlacKkKlansman, Marriage Story).

He’s one of the finest actors of his generation, and he nails every role he plays. His commitments to Star Wars just ended and he’s yet to be snapped up by Marvel, so this casting makes logistical sense, too.

8 Dick Grayson: Zac Efron

If the powers that be want an actor with a clean-cut look to play Dick Grayson as a cock-eyed optimist to contrast him with the unbridled rage and ongoing identity crisis faced by Bruce Wayne, then Zac Efron could be a solid choice.

He’s successfully shed the trappings of the High School Musical franchise with hilarious turns in the Neighbors movies. Plus, his performance as Ted Bundy in Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile proved he has an underutilized dark side, and the role of Dick Grayson could tap into that.

7 Jason Todd: Shia LaBeouf

As long as Robert Pattinson is shedding his Twilight image to play Batman, Shia LaBeouf could shed his Transformers image to play Jason Todd.

Although LaBeouf got his start playing adorkable nerds, he’s proven in films like Honey Boy that he’s capable of much darker, more nuanced acting than he had the chance to do in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, and he could apply that darkness to the role of Jason.

6 Dick Grayson: Taron Egerton

Kingsman’s Taron Egerton has been a common fan casting for Jason Todd, but he’s not quite tall or angry enough to play Jason. His Kingsman character Eggsy is a lovable hero who always strives to do the right thing, a lot like Dick Grayson.

Egerton brought a real edge to his portrayal of Elton John in Rocketman, so he could adapt to the darker tone of the DCEU without losing the spirit of Robin.

5 Jason Todd: Lucas Hedges

Lucas Hedges’ performances as an abusive older brother in Mid90s, a closeted gay Catholic schoolkid in Lady Bird, and a neglectful son in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri effectively comprise an interesting audition tape for the tortured, conflicted role of Jason Todd.

Based on his bittersweet turn as a grieving teenager in Manchester by the Sea, Hedges could also bring a real vulnerability to Jason to make his multi-movie arc more engaging.

4 Dick Grayson: Finn Wolfhard

If the DCEU team wanted to go with a more comedic Dick Grayson, like the animated version voiced by Michael Cera in The LEGO Batman Movie, then Stranger Things’ Finn Wolfhard could be a viable option.

He got a chance to show off his comic delivery skills in the It movies, and he has a childlike innocence that would contrast his age with Robert Pattinson’s thirtysomething Bruce Wayne.

3 Jason Todd: John Boyega

John Boyega’s Star Wars character, Finn, was pretty soft. Anyone who only knows Boyega from those movies might think that he doesn’t have the gruffness to play the tormented soul of Jason Todd.

However, Boyega got a chance to show off his harder edges as a gang member in the alien invasion comedy Attack the Block, and as a grizzled security guard in Kathryn Bigelow’s Detroit.

2 Dick Grayson: Jack Reynor

Chris O’Donnell’s Robin was not particularly well-liked among DC fans, but this is mainly due to how the movies he’s in were written and directed.

Midsommar star Jack Reynor has a lot of the O’Donnell charm, but with the added edge that integrating Robin into the DCEU would require.

1 Jason Todd: Jack O’Connell

Jack O’Connell would be an ideal choice to play Jason Todd. Jason is intense, and O’Connell has intensity in spades.

Powerful performances in Money Monster, Unbroken, and above all, the underrated prison drama Starred Up have proven that O’Connell has what it takes to play this character.

About The Author

Ben Sherlock
(3465 Articles Published)

Ben Sherlock is a writer, comedian, independent filmmaker, and Burt Reynolds enthusiast. He writes lists for Screen Rant and features and reviews for Game Rant. He’s currently in pre-production on his first feature (and has been for a while, because filmmaking is expensive). You can catch him performing standup at odd pubs around the UK that will give him stage time. Previously, he wrote for Taste of Cinema, Comic Book Resources, and BabbleTop.

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