Is John Krasinski playing Batman in the DCU?

Cameron Frew
John Krasinski and a still of Batman

Is John Krasinski playing Batman in the DCU? The Office star has suddenly been linked to the caped crusader, so here’s what we know about whether or not the actor is taking on the role.

Bears, beets, Battlestar Galactica… Batman? Krasinski rose to fame in NBC’s hit comedy, playing the loveable, loved-up, prank-prone Jim. From his increasingly elaborate practical jokes – who can forget quad-desk? – to his will-they-won’t-they relationship with Pam, he may be one of the most well-liked sitcom characters of all time.

In 2016, moviegoers were stunned by his transformation into an action hero in Michael Bay’s 13 Hours, in which he starred alongside Office alum David Denman in the true story of soldiers who defended the US diplomatic compound amid waves of attacks in Libya. This paved the way for him to take on the headline role of Jack Ryan in the Prime Video series, and he’s even played two superheroes: Reed Richards in Doctor Strange 2 and Superman in DC League of Super-Pets.

Now, he’s seemingly rumored to be the top choice to play Batman in Andy Muschietti’s The Brave and the Bold, marking the next Dark Knight’s entry into the DCU – but is it true?

Is John Krasinski playing Batman?

No, John Krasinski isn’t playing Batman in the DCU.

This rumor was conjured out of thin air by several fan accounts after Bill “Jett” Ramey (@BATMANONFILM) tweeted a photo of Krasinski without any caption or indication of why he’d posted it.

One such tweet amassed 1.5 million views, and soon accounts with larger followings started scoping out people’s opinion on the casting, even as a pure hypothetical. “How would you react if John Krasinski was really cast as Batman in James Gunn’s DC Universe Brave and the Bold?” one tweet read, which has nearly 71,000 views, while another user wrote: “Would you want to see John Krasinski become the DCU #Batman?”

This doesn’t mean it’ll never happen – but Gunn responded to a fan on Threads who asked if the Batman casting rumors had any truth to them and wrote: “I don’t know what you’re talking about but we don’t even have a script, and there’s a strike happening, so, no, no casting.”

There’s several actors who may be in the mix for all we know: Jensen Ackles has long spoken of his desire to play Batman, Nicholas Hoult could be considered after failing to land Superman, or it could be someone nobody expects. Three things seem certain: it won’t be Robert Pattinson, as he’ll continue playing Batman in his own Elseworld; it won’t be Ben Affleck, as the DCEU as we know it is coming to an end; and it won’t be George Clooney, as that was just a gag for the ending of The Flash.

You can find out anything we know about Batman’s casting in The Brave and the Bold here and our other DC coverage here.

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About The Author

Cameron is Deputy TV and Movies Editor at Dexerto. He's an action movie aficionado, '80s obsessive, and Oscars enthusiast. He loves Invincible, but he's also a fan of The Boys, the MCU, The Chosen, and much more. You can contact him at cameron.frew@dexerto.com.