Nightwing director Chris McKay wasn’t joking about casting the net wide for his lead role in his DC superhero film. Following on from his statements about the Nightwing casting call being a sizeable operation, McKay has announced his intentions to hold open auditions for the coveted role of Dick Grayson aka Nightwing, the all-grown-up version of Batman’s famous Boy Wonder sidekick, Robin.

Following his success with The LEGO Batman Movie, McKay is leading this Nightwing movie with help from The Accountant screenwriter Bill Dubuque. As the film's pre-production process continues, McKay has gone so far as to praise Warner Bros’ director-led moviemaking model and the “world-class filmmakers” that the studio has attracted. Some have argued that McKay’s Nightwing project could help to revive the DC Extended Universe, which continues to suffer from poor reviews and underwhelming box office numbers in the wake of Justice League's release.

Now, posting through his personal Twitter account, McKay has made it clear that he will be searching high and low for the perfect actor to lead his Nightwing movie. He will be holding open auditions, but encourages actors to get an agent or manager if they are taking this opportunity seriously:

There will be an open casting call but that is like Vegas odds for sure. Don’t leave your career up to chance. Believe in yourself. Bet on yourself. Get an agent or a manager.— Chris McKay (@buddboetticher) November 21, 2017

Any unknown actors auditioning for the role will face stiff competition from experienced industry names. The famous faces linked to the role so far include Dave Franco, Jared Padalecki, Steven R. McQueen, Drake Bell, Finn Wittrock, Dacre Montgomery, Dev Patel, Zac Efron and Steven Yeun. Indeed, as McKay made clear in his Tweets, throwing your name into the hat without any sort of representation would have tiny, Las Vegas-sized chances of success.

It is unclear what sort of age the aspiring actors need to be. As things stand, nobody outside the inner Warner Bros. Pictures circle knows how long the version of Dick Grayson from McKay and Dubuque’s script has been in the vigilante game. Whoever ends up in the role, regardless of their age, will need to be prepared for a “gruelingshoot featuring a lot of “real stunt work.”

Nightwing wasn’t included on the DCEU slate at San Diego Comic-Con because McKay is keen to take the necessary time to cast, conceive and capture this film in the best way possible. He isn’t rushing into anything or working to any deadline, which is an admirable approach for a modern-day filmmaker to take. Hopefully, the result of McKay's protracted process will be the awesome cinematic outing that Nightwing deserves.

More: 15 Actors That Could Play Nightwing

Source: Chris McKay

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