If one thing is clear after three seasons of Reacher, it's that Alan Ritchson would make a fine addition to either the MCU or the DCU. He's got the charisma, look and action chops for any sort of superhero movie, and as it turns out, he's still having chats with the powers that be at DC, but don't expect him to be playing another goodie-two-shoes.
"The conversation that I've been having with them is like, 'I want to play somebody a little messier,'" the actor explained to ScreenRant, when asked about the possibility of becoming part of James Gunn's stable of heroes and villains. For his part, Ritchson's been pitching a clear vision of something he believes would sit well in the franchise.
"I described to them the kind of personality that I'd want to play and what that would mean to their world, and I think it's something everybody wants to see right now over there," he teases. "So yes, I want to play somebody a little dirtier than your typical clean-cut protagonist."
What Ritchson's describing is something that's proven quite lucrative in recent years. Deadpool is easily among Marvel's most popular heroes, helped along by a pitch-perfect performance by Ryan Reynolds, and John Cena's Peacekeeper has been a consistent hit for DC, breaking out from The Suicide Squad to headline his own show.
Then you have The Boys, which has proven fans will follow good writing into the depths of hell when it comes to superhero storytelling. It's not hard to imagine Ritchson achieving something similar within the DC stable.
The Fast and Furious and former Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles star has spoken about his back-and-forth with Warner Bros several times over the last couple of years, downplaying the possibility of him playing Batman but remaining clear discussions are ongoing. He's already a familiar face within the wider universe, as he portrayed Aquaman in Smallville, and more recently took on the role of Hawk in the short-lived Titans.
For the time-being, he's promoting Playdate, an upcoming movie starring himself and Kevin James, arriving on Amazon Prime Video on November 15. Don't expect many capes, but there'll almost certainly be a laugh or two.
Keep an eye on our guide to every upcoming superhero movie for what caped you can look forward to.
