Dick Grayson Casting Thread

[Airwings]

Zackary Arthur who plays the lead role in that chucky tv show would be cool. He’s also 15-16 so he’s in age range. I’m a fan

View attachment 50397

Teo Briones is also on that show. Sorry for asking, but what do you think about him as a Grayson candidate?

 

[Babillygunn]

It is, certainly.


I won't derail the thread with this, it already happens too much. Yes, of course the character of Batman needs a suspension of disbelief. Including Robin asks you to go even deeper though, to the point where suspension can become distraction.

The basic idea of Batman is very real. Plenty of people suffer a tragic event and are shaken into public service of some kind. And if Elon Musk decided to outfit himself with a tactical costume and modified Tesla to fight crime, he could. And die within minutes...but it's possible on some level.

It's very hard to see an adolescent child or teenager in that same context, doing the same things, which is why I suspect most of the time Robin shows up in any medium, Batman's tone usually changes. Which brings me to...


It's not an excuse, it's the main point of my argument. It's too much of a tonal shift, and unless you shift Batman with it, he comes off as even more of a maniac.

Robin, by his nature, is a lighter character, he's meant to be. Making him too dark isn't really the traditional Robin at all. So you have this younger, more colorful and childish character juxtaposed against a surly, acerbic vigilante man. Unless Batman lightens also while dealing with him, it's a complete clash that's hard to accept in any sort of grounded setting.

On top of that, what purpose does he serve in this world? Batman already has a working relationship with an actual cop who he can get information from, investigate clues with, and battle criminals alongside. Do we really need a kid in a circus outfit standing there too? And why wouldn't Gordon have an issue with it himself, there's multiple crimes being committed just by being complicit enough to stand with anybody under 18.

I think the best way to make this work is with a young man OR go the Jason Todd route where Batman making this decision costs this kid his life. Better still, maybe he survives somehow and becomes the Red Hood...then Bruce has to deal with the repercussions of allowing this in the first place.

I’m an enormous fan of the Bat Family, but I agree that translating them to film is tricky. I am thrilled to see Batgirl getting her chance soon though.
But as to someone young as Robin, it is tough. I think the best way would be to have early/young Robin mostly shadowing and engaging in the detective work. He’s mostly working on the job and training, but not engaging in hand to hand combat. When Batman swoops in for the fight, he leaves Robin mostly sidelined. When Robin loses patience and engages, Batman suspends and sidelines him, indefinitely. Batman allows the child into his world, but doesn’t let him be put into direct harm until he is ready.

I know that this take begs the question of “why have him in the story then?” Well…

I do think that the character adds a lot to the story, as Bruce works out his own traumas by bringing someone else in and guiding them as they work out theirs. The concept of the Bat Family has essentially always been Bruce creating a surrogate family to help with the fact that his family was stolen from him. I see this as the logical progression for the Bruce that we get in Reeves’ film.

Admittedly hard to pull off, but potentially well worth the effort.

 

[Airwings]

I’m an enormous fan of the Bat Family, but I agree that translating them to film is tricky. I am thrilled to see Batgirl getting her chance soon though.
But as to someone young as Robin, it is tough. I think the best way would be to have early/young Robin mostly shadowing and engaging in the detective work. He’s mostly working on the job and training, but not engaging in hand to hand combat. When Batman swoops in for the fight, he leaves Robin mostly sidelined. When Robin loses patience and engages, Batman suspends and sidelines him, indefinitely. Batman allows the child into his world, but doesn’t let him be put into direct harm until he is ready.

I know that this take begs the question of “why have him in the story then?” Well…

I do think that the character adds a lot to the story, as Bruce works out his own traumas by bringing someone else in and guiding them as they work out theirs. The concept of the Bat Family has essentially always been Bruce creating a surrogate family to help with the fact that his family was stolen from him. I see this as the logical progression for the Bruce that we get in Reeves’ film.

Admittedly hard to pull off, but potentially well worth the effort.

Good ideas!

It depends on the age of the actor. Robin may, or may not, be an active part of the crime fighting.
If he's too young, he will need to start out in the shadows before he can do anything dangerous. As you say.

I'm curious. What is Reeves going to do with the character? It's to some extent a director's issue.
I know he's behind the story too, which will give him even more control. But he won't be the only writer, I guess.
There was another guy working with Reeves on the script for the first film. He would have had some ideas too.

The Robin actor is important. Problems related to the character and the character's age could be solved if the right one gets cast.

As for finding the right young guy... do you think Pattinson will have a say in the casting process? Whoever ends up playing the sidekick, the two of them are going to work a lot on the set together. The chemistry has to be there.
Wouldn't it make sense that Pattinson too agrees on the final choice?

 

[Airwings]

It’s been just over 8 years since the poster DeGenerate10 created this thread. The actor he suggested in the very first post was, at that time, a 22-year-old Logan Lerman.
Sure, he could have made sense back then. When looking at his prior work, he appeared like he was born to play the character.

There were several other suggestions discussed too. It was a good time for the thread.
Personally, I rooted the most for Lerman and Liam Aiken.
(and I strongly disliked Dylan O'Brien as a candidate, lol)
Do you remember those times?

It's interesting that we seemed to only mention guys between 20 and 30. It was like that for years
I don’t think it crossed our minds that someone younger could play Dick Grayson and do a good job. For example, a teenage Kodi Smit-McPhee.
I wonder why!!!
The young Australian collaborated with Matt Reeves for the 2th time that year (2014), in the film Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.
Strange that he wasn’t brought up in the Robin discussion, as the promising young talent he was already back then.
I guess we couldn’t imagine that he was a future Oscar nominee.




Since then, younger actors have been discussed. During the last 1-2 years, a bunch of actual teens. Finally, it happened! That't the correct age for a Robin actor!
It seems that Levi Miller, Jaeden Martell, Noah Schnapp and Noah Jupe got the most support here at SHH. I decide to call them “The Big Four”, from now on.

At the very current point, something else is going on here. It’s a casting thread, but most people don’t want to talk about actors.
It’s rather the sidekick character itself that gets the focus. The discussion revolves around a "for and against Robin" matter.

As for myself, I’ve been throwing out a lot of possible young actors during this spring. It's both people who might be able to play Grayson, and might not.
Now I want to make a summary. It will consist of the ones I think suit Robin the most.
Expect the list to be up sometime soon

 

[Airwings]

My summary is a good representation for all the possible actors for Dick Grayson, whether the character should be more of a kid, or in his late teens.
Wouldn't you say it states the very best candidates sorted by each birth year between 2000 and 2010?
In some cases, there's a clear Robin vibe.
For a few other names, I judged more by talent because the classic Grayson look is missing.

Something that speaks in the favor for all these guys, is that nobody among them would turn down the role. It's not likely, with the success of the first film in mind.
If you're a young actor and need a career boost, then playing the sidekick could open doors in Hollywood.

2000 Lino Facioli
2001 Arman Darbo
2002 Milo Parker
2003 Theo Taplitz / Marcel Ruiz (tie)
2004 Gabriel Bateman
2005 Ezra Dewey / Owen Vaccaro (tie)
2006 Jacob Tremblay
2007 Charlie Shotwell
2008 Jackson Robert Scott
2009 Woody Norman
2010 Azhy Robertson

Can you imagine these young people sharing screen time with Pattinson?
Also wearing the Robin costume?

And in case you wonder if I've forgotten about Levi/Martell/Schnapp/Jupe, I deliberately excluded them.
Why?
Because they’re so obvious anyway. By far the strongest ones!!!

My list is rather a kind of a supplement to "The Big Four".

 

[Airwings]

20 days without a single post.
Seriously, isn't Dick Grayson more interesting to fancast than that? There's no shortage of young actors either, but plenty.

If only you could come up with different names in the same passionate way like you do with other characters around Batman!
For example if you have seen somebody in another role recently and he did a good job there. Then you have somebody to suggest! It's as simple as that.
I actually believe the chosen actor will be taken from stuff we've seen the last couple of years (television productions also included).
Especially when it comes to those who have played the supporting characters. That's where the hidden gems could be.

Do you want titles?
Licorice Pizza and The Northman are two examples of many.

I will scrap my "Year List". It isn't fair to only pick one guy for each year. Many good ones are left out then.
I plan to reboot the whole thing and create a better shortlist. Then go through a number of actors, one at a time, to see if they are worthy or not.

 

[Airwings]

Let me start.
We have Levi, Jaden and the two Noahs. The strongest candidates of them all, but they aren't a part of what I'm putting together. Because they're unreachable, too good to be true.

I'll find more realistic names.
The first one is Reece Yates, an English actor. He appeared in a TV adaption of Les Misérables (2019). But it was his "Peter Pan esque" role in Come Away (2020) that somewhat impressed me.
He'll be the first name on my new shortlist. I hope he hasn't stopped acting.



He has to make that hair a bit shorter though

 

[Airwings]

When looking at actors in recent films, there's Jude Hill (Belfast). But I've already said no to him.
Talent isn't all. One must also suit the character of Batman's sidekick, in one way or another.

I'll go for the Puerto Rican Marcel Ruiz (born 2003)
Previous work includes Breakthrough (2019). He also played Alex Alvarez for several years in
One Day at a Time (2017-20). There are no projects lined up right now which means he's available.

 

[Airwings]

Woody Norman (born 2009) is on my "Year List", which I have second thoughts about.
He's talented, no doubt. I’m amazed how many roles he’s already played at such a young age.
The Poldark series is just one among all his credits. Then we have the recent hit C'mon C'mon, actually the only thing I've seen him in.
The kid is so natural in his acting there. He felt like he was himself and didn't play a character. Those child actors are rare.
He could also hold his own against Joaquin Phoenix.

Unfortunately, he's bit too young and short for Grayson. However, that will soon change. In just one year from now, things will look different.
But I have to wait until then.
I need to see his two upcoming films Last Voyage of the Demeter and Cobweb before I can decide if he's ever fit for The Boy Wonder.
Right now I can't give him more than a *Maybe*

I’m going on vacation soon so I feel I have to give you this week's name on my shortlist. Time to pick someone from other recent stuff. But what films have young actors that might suit Robin?
Oh, I have a title in mind

I’ll be back tomorrow for some…



Well, maybe I could start a little today.
This film is truly Cooper Hoffman’s show, so to speak. He delievered, and it felt like the character was written exclusively for him.
However, as he was as far from a Grayson type as one actor can get, in every possible and impossible way, there's no need to ever suggest him.
I'll be looking at others from the cast tomorrow.

 

[Airwings]

This time around, it’s the guys from Licorice Pizza. This is a really good film which has been brought up here before, along with the cast
The lead character had several young people around him. They all fit the tone despite being mostly in the background.
Who were these supporting people then?
One of the names is Will Angarola, Is he a Robin?
Well, just “maybe”. That’s all I can give him. It’s not enough to end up on my list
The thing is, he was hardly seen in the film. Only a couple of seconds now and then. This made it very tricky to see if the actor would work as Batman's sidekick. I can’t just google his name and go by looks. I set the bar higher than that.

It was the same with Griff Giacchino. He's also a glorified extra, not much more than that. But with him, it's a loud and clear NO from me. Because his father is the composer of the new Batman.

Then there was Milo Herschlag. He had the most to do of all the supporting young actors in Hoffman’s circle, I had a chance to actually see him act. It wasn’t much but he did good with what he was given.
The question is if he has a place on my shortlist. I can admit that he does, but just barely.
He seemed quite dorky (which is something the film required of him). That could make it a bit interesting, you know, to see if he can play something else and fit another atmosphere as good as he did in LP.
If somebody is cast by Paul Thomas Anderson, it must mean he’s got acting talent. I’m open for giving Herschlag a go.





However, it seems that PTA has a thing for not just casting young people who are total newcomers, but also the kind who won’t act ever again. The son in There Will Be Blood is a perfect example of this.
Does the director put that in their contract or what’s the matter behind this?
Will the same happen now?
It’s a little shame if these young LP actors won’t appear in other roles and prove themselves. Just one acting gig and then it’s over?

 

[Airwings]

I'm back from my vacation

I have decided to bring up something from 2018 who's got a few young names.
It's no longer considered as one of the new films, or is it?
Lets give it a try!




It's not a good film. The editing is plain terrible.
The acting is bad. Most so when when it comes to the adult characters, some of which are written to behave like children. That sucks!
Not even C Thomas Howell does a good job.

None of the teenage cast seem to possess great talent either. They do what they’re told to do and nothing else.

Despite everything, I still want to mention Wyatt Walter (b 2000). He plays one of the prominent characters.
He's mostly done TV work, a few episodes of NCIS: New Orleans and other stuff.
Nobody have suggested him here before.

It's hard to find a good pic. Most of them are so model-like and not natural at all.
I did decided so go with this one where he's more relaxed. It's maybe 2-3 years old. To a little extent, he resembles Lucas Till
One can look at it and think that he could maybe suit Robin.

The problem is that it’s been four years since Rack Pack came out. How much has he changed? Unfortunately, he starts to look his age in the more recent pics. Some of them don’t put him in a great light so I don’t include them in the post.
I don’t want another Chris O’Donnell situation here. I’m unsure about him.

But perhaps that’s something we have to accept, a 20 something Robin that’s clearly a young man, not a teen?????
Is it going to work if the character is handled better than Schumacher did?
Should Walter get the gig? Maybe, very much a maybe.

 

[Airwings]

Since I haven’t posted in two weeks, I feel I need a name on the shortlist.

Let’s not leave that stinker of a film Rack Pack yet. I’ll give it another shot
Nico Ford is the lead protagonist. He's likely the same age as Wyatt Walter.

The actor has lined up several projects over the years, Technicolour Daydream and a lot more, so he isn’t totally talentless.
Unfortunately, everything he's done have gone under the radar.
I get the impression that he tried to become a name actor in 2018 with the sheer number of roles he played that year. He failed to get a breakthrough.

I don't think he should be Batman's sidekick. A big NO.
Recent pics have made it clear he's aged out of the role. Or perhaps he never fit the character in the first place, I’m not sure

That means no name on the shortlist this week ☹
I’ll do better next time

 

[Airwings]

Have you seen Locke & Key at Netflix?

I think it can be interesting to consider actors from the show.
Let’s look at the family which the plot revolves around.

Connor Jessup is the older brother Tyler. He's a Canadian actor who's been acting for over a decade.
Previous work includes both films and TV series: Falling Skies, Closet Monster, American Crime etc
There's one problem though. The dude looks young in L&K but he’s actually born 1994.
Shocking! I almost can’t believe it.
That will definitely write him off any lists. The Reeves-verse's Dick Grayson hasn't yet become The Boy Wonder when he's first introduced. I's an origin story. We can't have a 30-year-old actor then!

The youngest sibling Bode (Jackson Robert Scott, the kid from IT) is on the other side of the spectrum He's too young for the character instead.
Born 2008, both his young age and his tiny stature are factors that work it against him here.
It’s not possible to judge the kid fairly as a contender for Robin. Not at the moment. I have to see him play a teenager first.
One thing speaks in his favour. He's atleast got a chance to grow into the role. Jessup can't do that.
That said, the kiddie actor isn't without talent. Where he's more of an ordinary boy in L&K, his performance as the possessed kid in Prodigy was disturbing to see. I think that was a demanding role for the youngster. But those acting qualities can be brought over to the Batman sequel.
Reeves' version of Gotham is dark and truly gloomy. Pattinson's Wayne is a brooding emo in terms of look.
I'm sure the upcoming version of the sidekick will character-wise be more different from Burt Ward than we're comfortable with.
But for now, I can't give the actor more than a Maybe.

(this pic was chosen because Robin has colors, he's not wearing all-black)

 

[Airwings]

I must add another name on my list at this point.

There are other actors in Locke & Key worth mentioning. The supporting ones.

Felix Mallard as Lucas was quite good with that mysterious aura. I would almost have given him a Yes if he wasn’t born 1998. That’s too old.

Then we have an interesting guy in Griffin Gluck (born 2000)
Other than L&K, he's appeared in Tall Girl, Big Time Adolescence and Dinner in America
Looking as his birth year, he’s starting to become “seasoned”. The guy has to be really talented for it to work. Thankfully, he is.
As the character Gabe, he could be both a well-mannered young guy as well as the lovable dork who usually gets friendzoned.

Spoiler

and also a sinister villain.

He deserves a spot on my list.
Finally, I have another name

 

[Airwings]

Belfast is one of the recent films so I go back to take a look at it.
Lewis McAskie is the teenage brother in the family.
I would have to say no. I just can't see him as Dick Grayson.

Cry Macho is another one.
Here's an interesting thing. The Mexican teen could speak English well and I think he sounded American. I can't remember if i had any accent at all.
If Robin is to be played by a non-us actor, Eduardo Minett (born 2006) will be a good choice. YES to him.
The character can still be American of course, but they could give him Mexican roots.

 

[Airwings]

Elliott Rose from The Northman has been suggested before. I have seen the film... and personally I didn't think he lived up to the standards. He has to do better. For now, he's a Maybe (just barely, though).
But how could the poor actor ever impress me as his scenes came after Oscar Novak's performance as young Amleth.
I was blown away. He would have gotten a strong Yes from me if Matt Reeves didn't cast him as the young Bruce Wayne.
That means his Yes becomes a No.

Perhaps the actor for Reevesverse's Dick Grayson has to come from a gritty adventure film? Since there isn't really someone to use in Northman, maybe we should look at something similar?
The Game of Thrones prequel series "House of the Dragon" is coming soon. Could a teen actor that suits Robin be found there? We'll have to wait and see
Atleast the first Got series had some talented young cast.

In the meantime, here's pictures of Novak. This is who we have missed out on.

 

[Airwings]

We should check out House of the Dragon.

Horror kids are suitable too.
Ezra Dewey (born 2005 or 2006) was quite good in Boy Behind the Door.
The trailer for The Djinn (another horror) looks promising. I look forward to see the film.
Yes to him.

Don't let the name Ezra prevent him from being considered

 

[antsman41]

I think Pattinson could embody the Dark Victory relationship perfectly.

 

[Airwings]

I think Pattinson could embody the Dark Victory relationship perfectly.

Now we need to find an actor who can embody that relationship, as Dick Grayson.

 

[Airwings]

What other recent projects are there?

Ah, there's The Adam Project
Walker Scobell (born 2009) is the young version of the main character.
At first glance just a typical Disney kid but he was decent in the film. But he’s not good on a higher level.
He's been cast as the lead in the upcoming Percy Jackson series, so he’s got some talent after all.
Can he be Dick Grayson? NO, and that’s not only because of his young age. He isn’t really ready for a character like Robin yet. It will require too much, and he won’t be able to deliver.
Maybe some other young actor from the Percy series will work better, one of the supports perhaps? We might find someone we didn’t know about.
That actually happened me.
While I was watching Adam Project and judged Scobell’s performance, I noticed another young actor who will fit Robin much better. The bully kid Ray, played by Braxton Bjerken (born 2006)
He has the look and he’s got attitude in his scenes. I was a little surprised because he came from nowhere and then suddenly he’s a good candidate.
I remember thinking “that’s my Robin!!”
He gets a Yes

"Bjerken and Scobell fighting over the Grayson role"

From Girl in the Basement (2021)

 

[Airwings]

While we wait to see if there are potential Robin actors in the Percy Jackson series, how about
Callum Booth-Ford (born 2006)?
He was believable as a transgendered kid in the British mini-series Butterfly, where he did a good performance.
The problem is that it's four years ago. He's grown a lot since then and this is obvious in recent pics. Maybe he doesn't suit Dick Grayson?
I know that the young actor has later appeared in the hit TV series Peaky Blinders but I haven't seen it.
How is his acting ability today?

If I'm to judge him as he was in Butterfly, he could work. But I'm not really sure.
I take the safe way out with a Maybe.

And now I can give you the rules I've created for myself.
I will present a new guy on my shortlist every week. I'll do it by looking at one actor.
What happens if there's a No or a Maybe to him? Then I'll try with another. But just one more. And if that one isn't good enough either, there's no addition to the shortlist that week.

 

[shauner111]

As long as it’s not the kid from Samaritan.

 

[Lautox]

I just want this scene recreated, it was such a big part of my childhood

 

[Airwings]

I will follow my established rule and try to get a name on my shortlist this week.

The new Amazon series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power isn't out yet. I'm sure there will be some high level of acting here. It feels like they have gone with a certain kind of of actors for this.
Maybe even those who could work as Dick Grayson? Time will tell!

In the meantime, I will bring up Theo Taplitz (born 2003).
He was really good in Little Men. Perfect for the character.
It came out six years ago, quite some time.
I would say he still lives on that performance because he was brilliant.
I know that talent isn't the only factor. Thankfully, this young actor is also gifted with a look that works for Grayson.

Two years after his break, he was in a film called Gringo. It's was a let down to see him being underutilized. The only he did was playing electric guitar in one single scene. What a waste of a good actor!

I have tried to get my hands on his indie film Wyrm (2019). I really want to see that one!!

Taplitz has a new film coming out this year ("Showing Up").
He's matured a bit but doesn’t seem to have aged out of being a possible Robin, which could be the case with Booth-Ford.
It will be a Yes for him

 

[Airwings]

As long as it’s not the kid from Samaritan.

Javon Walton?
Was he bad in it?
There was a poster who suggested him earlier in this thread. I don't remember who.

I just want this scene recreated, it was such a big part of my childhood

Nice moment there! hope you will get what you want.
We both have something we wish to see being done with Grayson on film.

It's important that the audience will feel the character's journey, and growth. Robin isn't a one-dimensional joke.