The future of Gotham? 10 actors we could see as Batman

Robert Pattinson is the current occupant of Wayne Manor, and with the way things are going for "The Batman," it looks like he may stay there for awhile.

But no one stays Batman forever, so it's never too early to start fantasy booking who will be the next actor to put on the Batsuit.

From Oscar winners to up-and-comers to established superstars, here's a list of 10 actors we'd love to see drive the Batmobile once Pattinson is ready to hand over the keys.

10. Nicholas Hoult

He was almost our current Batman. The star of "The Great" (and, way back in 2002, "About a Boy") was reportedly neck-and-neck (or cape-and-cape) with Robert Pattinson to be given the keys to the Batcave in "The Batman." He lost out to R-Pattz, but the dashing Brit has the charm, humor and brooding ability required to protect Gotham while fighting off its bad guys. Don't count him out of the role just yet.

9. Mahershala Ali

The two-time Oscar winner would be an older Batman; he's currently 48, and that's four years older than Ben Affleck was when he suited up as the Caped Crusader in "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice." But Ali has a calm, steely presence and can still light up a room at a Gotham City charity event. And if Liam Neeson is still messing dudes up in his late 60s, Ali can surely still handle himself in a fight.

8. Lucas Hedges

The 25-year-old "Manchester by the Sea" Oscar nominee is a consistently solid actor who is still looking for the large-scale breakout role that would make him a household name. He has the goods for Batman, but that streak of mischievousness in his grin might make him more suited to a Batman villain role. Either way, he's ready for his moment. Cast the kid!

7. Liam Hemsworth

When the Hemsworths are sitting around the dinner table, you just know that Chris loves to tease his little brother about how he's Thor, and Liam is, well, the former Mr. Miley Cyrus. That score can be evened, as Liam could pull off a stint in the Batsuit, since has the physical stature needed for the role as well as the jawline required to show off his chin underneath the Bat helmet. Bonus points if they cast his brother as a villain in the same movie.

6. Timothee Chalamet

"Dune" showed he could do cerebral sci-fi action, so how about Batman? It would be worth it just for the reaction of the internet when the first pics of bulked up Chalamet make their way online. Pattinson is our most emo Batman, Chalamet would be our most sensitive Batman. Would he fight the bad guys or just ask them why they're being so mean? You can't get much darker than "The Batman," Chalamet could be the Dark Knight who lightens things up a bit.

5. Michael B. Jordan

In "Black Panther," Jordan was one of the most memorable comic book villains we've ever seen on screen. But he's got hero blood running through him as well, in addition to the razzle dazzle needed to fill out the Batsuit. That Batsuit might have to be restructured to fit all of Jordan's muscles — did you see him in "A Journal for Jordan?" (checks box office grosses: no, you didn't) — and Gotham City might not be ready for a Bruce Wayne this dashing. Which means it's time to give him a try.

4. Oscar Isaac

He's a franchise machine — he was in "X-Men" and "Star Wars," he's in "Dune," he voices a character in "Spider-Man: Into the Spider Verse" and its upcoming sequel and he's one of the stars of the upcoming Marvel series "Moon Knight" — so it would be Gotham City's loss if they didn't get a piece of the actor as well. What more convincing is needed?

3. Henry Golding

The star showed his natural charisma and burned up the screen in "Crazy Rich Asians." Not so much in last year's G.I. Joe adventure "Snake Eyes," but in that movie, he wore a mask that entirely obscured his head. Is that what you want to do when you have Henry Golding on screen? He'd be able to bring much more to Batman — including the lower half of his face — and he could be the smoothest Bruce Wayne ever. Downsides? None!

2. Dev Patel

From "The Green Knight" to "The Dark Knight," the 31-year-old Brit — an Oscar nominee for his performance in "Lion" — has showed that he can do dark and forlorn on screen, as well as heroic, as well as quiet and contemplative. And he's only grown into a deeper, more introspective actor since making his screen debut in "Slumdog Millionaire." In many ways, it seems Patel is just getting started. And he would make "Batman" all his own.

1. Jake Gyllenhaal

He's done superhero material before — he played Mysterio in "Spider-Man: Far From Home" — but Gyllenhaal is worthy of center stage in a franchise, a role the one-time "Donnie Darko" has yet to take. He is an actor who has gone very dark before (see "Nightcrawler") and has never shied away from difficult material. But the all-out blockbuster has alluded him, and "Batman" could be his chance to take the throne.

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