It finally happened. After months of speculation, Ben Affleck has officially stepped down from the role of Batman, having appeared in both Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) and Justice League (2017).
Although the two DC universe outings didn’t fare so well with critics, with Justice League turning out to be an all-out box office bomb, Affleck’s weary, cynical take on the Caped Crusader still had plenty of fans, meaning his successor won’t have such an easy time stepping into his shoes.
As it stands, the character is set to return for Matt Reeves’s noir-tinged standalone The Batman, scheduled for release on 25 June, 2021.
Producers now face a lengthy search to find DC’s new Bruce Wayne, with sources stating they’re on the lookout for a younger star – although how much younger is unclear. Affleck is 46, so it seems, at this point, anyone in the 20s and 30s is fair game.
With that in mind, we’ve chosen seven actors that could fit the bill, and including that all-important trait of a powerful chin.
