Alan Ritchson is one of TV’s biggest stars thanks to “Reacher,” but it wasn’t long ago that he was mostly limited to fan castings. His sturdy acting chops and towering physique make him a popular choice among comic book fans in particular, and he remains a favorite of fans looking for him to play a new Batman in James Gunn’s DCU. Ritchson has responded positively to the prospect when asked about it, telling The Hollywood Reporter, “I would love to play Batman, there, I said it! Okay, I’ll shout it from the rooftops, ‘I want to be Bruce Wayne!'”
Despite that, however, Batman isn’t the hero that Alan Ritchson is really gunning for. Perhaps surprisingly, the role that Ritchson has his eye on isn’t even a Marvel or DC character — it’s one of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. In particular, Ritchson wants to play Michelangelo, the blue bandana-wearing, katana-wielding leader of the butt-kicking reptiles. And that’s an odd choice, because Ritchson, believe it or not, already played one of the Ninja Turtles, stepping into a mo-cap suit to play Raphael in the 2014 film “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.”
“I played Raphael in the Ninja Turtles, but I wanted to be Mikey,” Ritchson told Flickering Myth. “So I’m hoping maybe someday in the future, I’ll get to be Mikey in some alternate universe.” With the Turtles rebooted a half dozen times in the past 20 years on TV and at the movies, it’s not crazy to think that Ritchson might get his shot.
Ritchson has had a long career as a superhero
Whether he winds up playing the Caped Crusader in the DCU or finally gets his wish to play Michaelangelo in a “TMNT” reboot, Alan Ritchson has nothing to complain about when it comes to a career in the superhero genre, as he’s already played two major DC heroes. The “Reacher” star launched his Hollywood career by suiting up as the oceanic adventurer Arthur Curry, aka Aquaman, in the WB series “Smallville.”
Appearing in four episodes of the show, Ritchson was a key figure in the formation of a proto-Justice League team that included Clark Kent/Superman (Tom Welling), Oliver Queen/Green Arrow (Justin Hartley), Bart Allen/Impulse (Kyle Gallner), Victor Stone/Cyborg (Lee Thompson Young), and others. Sadly, the actor was passed over when the network tried to give Aquaman a spin-off, with future “Tracker” star Hartley taking on the role in an unsold pilot — though you might be surprised how Ritchson felt about being replaced. Still, Ritchson stayed in the DC superhero game, returning to that world in “Titans” where he played the bird half of Hawk and Dove, a superhero duo co-created by Steve Ditko (the artist who helped create Spider-Man).
With so many major heroes under his belt, some might fear Ritchson would be overexposed if he were to land yet another superhero role. But when it’s Alan Ritchson, a man seemingly built to play a comic book character, we doubt there would be any complaints if he added Batman or Michaelangelo to his filmography.