Batman casting rumors are basically a DC fan sport at this point, but every once in a while, something small happens that makes the conversation feel louder than usual. On Distance NERDing, that “something” is a James Gunn reply that fans immediately treated like a signal flare.
The setup is simple. A fan casting post makes the rounds, Gunn responds with a blunt compliment about Tom Brittney being a great actor, and suddenly, the internet starts connecting dots that may or may not exist. The hosts even point out how unusual it is to see Gunn engage with this kind of chatter, which is exactly why the rumor feels stickier than the average fancast of the week.
What’s interesting is that the conversation doesn’t treat it like a slam dunk announcement. They float the more likely possibility too: Gunn might have just been reacting in the moment, realizing right after that people would interpret it as confirmation. That’s the part that rings true, because fandom is always hunting for certainty, and a single sentence from the guy running DC Studios is going to get magnified.
From there, the episode gets into why Brittney is catching on as an idea, even among people who weren’t previously campaigning for him.
First, he fits the “blank slate” factor. The hosts like that he’s relatively unknown, which means audiences won’t walk in with a decade of baggage or a loud pre existing persona. When you cast Batman, you are not just casting a face, you are casting a whole era. If the actor already comes with a strong identity, it can start to feel like “that actor wearing the suit” instead of Bruce Wayne. A lesser known pick can help the character feel like the character again.
Second, they argue he checks a few practical boxes that fans obsess over, whether they should or not. Height comes up, of course. They peg Brittney around 6 foot 2 and talk about how that puts him in the sweet spot next to David Corenswet’s Superman, close enough to feel believable on screen while still letting Superman read as the bigger, larger than life presence. The jawline talk shows up too, because Batman discourse always ends up at jawlines and silhouettes. And they note the physical side is trainable, pointing out that modern superhero casting is built around transformation time, and that Brittney looks like someone who could bulk into the role with the right prep.
Third, they underline how fast fans started doing homework. The episode mentions people going back through Brittney’s past roles, bringing up Grantchester and Greyhound as reference points while trying to figure out if he has the weight and presence for a “mythic gravitas” Batman. That’s a familiar pattern now. The internet becomes a casting director for a weekend, building a case out of screen caps and clips, and sometimes that momentum becomes its own story.
The most grounded takeaway from the segment is this: nothing is confirmed. Even the hosts frame Gunn’s comment as potentially just hype fuel, intentional or accidental, rather than a direct signal that a deal is in motion. But it also shows how sensitive the DCU casting conversation is right now. Fans are watching every move, because DC’s next Batman is not just another role. It’s the anchor for years of stories, and it’s one of the few characters where the casting choice instantly changes how people feel about the whole plan.
If Tom Brittney ends up being the guy, the case the episode lays out is pretty clear. He’s a compromise pick that could satisfy the “let’s go younger” crowd, the “stop casting celebrities as icons” crowd, and the “make the DCU feel cohesive next to Superman” crowd. If he doesn’t, this still explains why the rumor caught fire so quickly. One short Gunn comment, one actor who fits the silhouette, and a fandom that’s ready to latch on to anything that feels like direction.
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