While Burt Ward and Chris O’Donnell are the most well-known actors to portray Dick Grayson in live action, Brenton Thwaites had a respectable tenure as the character on the HBO Max subscription-exclusive series Titans. The Maleficent alum brought Batman’s former sidekick to life over four seasons, with this Dick first continuing to fight criminals as Robin, then as Nightwing. Though Titans ended almost three full years ago, Thwaites has shared his thoughts on possibly reprising Nightwing in the DCU, which makes me all the more eager to hear some of his trademark Dick Grayson f-bombs.
Brenton Thwaites was asked if he’d be game to step back into Dick’s shoes while talking about We Bury the Dead, his 2026 movie that stars in with Star Wars’ Daisy Ridley. He responded that he’d be open to that if it was in the cards, telling Comicbook:
I haven’t been keeping up with the DCU, but I do love that character. I think he’s really special and the fans are just obsessed with Dick Grayson. I would love to play him again. I don’t know. I don’t know. It’s a good question.
So far the only examples of actors from a previous DC continuity who’ve continued to play their roles in the DC Universe are The Suicide Squad and/or Peacemaker cast members like John Cena, Jennifer Holland and Steve Agee, as well as Blue Beetle’s Xolo Maridueña expected to return as Jaime Reyes. So at least there’s some chance that Brenton Thwaites could play Dick Grayson again, and I’d be all for it, if only to hear him drop Batman-related f-bombs. I can still fondly recall when his Robin exclaimed “Fuck Batman!” in Titans’ first episode, though I’m an even bigger fan of when he told Iain Glen’s Bruce Wayne he didn’t want to “fucking be Robin again” in the Season 3 premiere, as you’ll see below.
Assuming Brenton Thwaites did play Nightwing again, I doubt it would be the same exact version from Titans. It would instead be comparable to when Judi Dench played two different versions of M in the Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig James Bond movies. Nevertheless, with the way the DCU timeline is, it would still be easy enough to have Thwaites return with a different take on Dick Grayson since, just like in Titans, this continuity will feature an older Batman.
We glimpsed the DCU’s Batman from the shadows a little over a year ago in Creature Commandos, and he’s still expected to make his full debut in The Brave and the Bold, the upcoming DC movie where Bruce will be fighting alongside his son Damian. So with Damian being Robin in the present day DCU, Brenton Thwaites could still convincingly play Dick Grayson as having been the first Robin years back and still kicking ass as Nightwing nowadays.
Since The Brave and the Bold is expected highlight multiple members of the Bat-Family, it’s a good bet we’ll see Dick Grayson in some form or fashion. If Brenton Thwaites ends up playing him, CinemaBlend will share the news of that casting. Meanwhile, although The Brave and the Bold still doesn’t have a release date, Robert Pattinson’s younger Batman will return when The Batman: Part II hits theaters on October 1, 2027.
