Dylan O'Brien responds to the rumors about him being cast as Dick Grayson in a potential DC movie version of Nightwing. The DCEU is not stopping anytime soon as the franchise is continuing to build out its universe, adding more heroes and villains from the comics. With upcoming DC movies like Black Adam, The Flash, Aquaman 2, and more, Warner Bros.'s DC cinematic universe is also expanding onto streaming service HBO Max, with new releases like Peacemaker and Batgirl. Even though many iconic characters have jumped from panel to screen, there are still multiple players fans are hoping to see join the DCEU.
As many DC movies have come and gone, there have also been projects that started being developed before eventually getting quietly shelved. One of them was a Nightwing movie that was being worked on by director Chris McKay back in February 2017. While a script had been written, updates eventually stopped coming out, as McKay revealed that the project had been put on hold as Warner Bros. and DC were looking at other priorities. Despite no movement on the feature film, it hasn't stopped rumors from circulating, including O'Brien being up for the Nightwing part in the DCEU.
For the time being, it has remained unclear if Nightwing is even on his way to the DCEU and who would play him. Now, O'Brien has come out with an interesting response to those reports that may disappoint some fans. Reported by Post Cred Pod, The Maze Runner star clarified that he has never heard anything official in terms of the superhero role. However, O'Brien did at some point discover that rumors were circulating about him being cast as Nightwing, going as far as checking with his manager if there was any truth to it. He said of the fan-casting and rumors:
I'm aware of it, I've seen a lot of it. I've not heard anything about it on the professional side, but it's cool that it made its way to me, to the point where I asked my manager 'Is this even an actual thing?'
While his response may be disappointing for those who wanted to see O'Brien play Nightwing, it's clear the actor has taken notice and appreciates those discussions online. Even though Warner Bros. has not given any indication of Nightwing coming to the big screen anytime soon, the character does currently exist in the live-action medium. Since 2018, Brenton Thwaites has been portraying the former Boy Wonder who has gone on to become Nightwing on Titans. Since Nightwing will continue to be part of Titans season 4, there is at least a live-action destination for eager fans of the character.
When it comes to bringing Nightwing into the DC movies, the studio can go in multiple directions in terms of how to introduce the original Robin. Either they proceed with McKay's Nightwing film, or Dick perhaps makes his DCEU debut in any of the upcoming films. One possibility is HBO Max's Batgirl franchise, with sequels that could perhaps serve as Dick's introduction, given that he and Barbara Gordon have been partners and romantically involved in the comics. Thanks to some set photos that made their way online, Batgirl is establishing that Robin does or did exist in one way another. Whether it be O'Brien or someone else in the role, the DCEU will ideally introduce Nightwing at some point in the near future.
Source: Post Cred Pod
