After learning that Ben Affleck would be playing Batman in Zack Snyder's Man of Steel sequel - still known only as Batman Vs. Superman - perhaps the piece of news which has proven as divisive was the report that Batman's former sidekick Dick Grayson - who in the comic books adopted the identity of Nightwing after outgrowing that of Robin - would somehow tie into the plot of the next film.

While we here at Screen Rant had some suggestions on who could play the roleGirls star Adam Driver was thought to be the front-runner, while other actors reportedly in consideration were Penn Badgley (Gossip Girl) and Ezra Miller (The Perks of Being A Wallflower). Warner Bros. producer David Alter has apparently confirmed that Robin will be part of the story, but what about Nightwing? And what about the actors supposedly in the running?

It appears that the frontrunner himself, Adam Driver, has denied that there is any truth to the rumors that he's being considered for the role of Dick Grayson, AKA Nightwing. In an interview with Collider about his role in the upcoming Coen Brothers film Inside Llewyn DavisDriver shoots down the speculation while commenting on the role itself. You can watch the video HERE.

When asked if he was a fan of the source comics, Driver responded: "Very much so, yeah.This was followed by a series of bemused laughs and by the look on Driver's face, he knows exactly where the line of questioning is headed. When asked if there were any truth to the rumors, he responded:

"No! Not that I know of, no."

Batman and Nightwing

Driver was then asked point-blank whether or not this denial could itself prove false in two weeks' time. His response: "No! If you find out, let me know... and then I'll know!" 

When asked how he feels about his rumored involvement in such a big movie like this, he answered:

"That's like intensely flattering as you can imagine. I mean, it's Batman and Superman, who doesn't want to be involved in something not only of that scale but of who those characters are. That's an incredible world to be able to be in for a bit. Like who wouldn't want to do that?"

Spoken like a true fan. This news invites a reappraisal of the original report of Nightwing's inclusion. We've had a fairly solid report that Nightwing could in fact debut on the small-screen DC Universe of Arrowwhich led to the question of whether or not the TV and movie universes would actually intersect at all.

An actor denying rumors about a high-profile role is nothing new, of course: not too long ago, fan-favorite Bryan Cranston genially denied that he's been offered the role of Lex Luthor. Driver's denial doesn't mean that the reports that Badgley and Miller are being considered, either. With production set to begin in early 2014, we should have confirmation on at least some of the rumored supporting characters soon enough.

So who should play Nightwing, Screen Ranters? Do you like any of the others actors mentioned? Sound off in the comments!

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Batman vs. Superman will be in theaters on July 17, 2015.

Source: Collider