Nearly a decade after his last appearance as the character, one former Batman actor is voicing his desire to return as the Caped Crusader. As DC Studios lays the foundation for its very own Dark Knight, fans have been harkening back to the various big-name actors who have played the character over his decades on-screen. One of the more unique actors to play the iconic DC hero was fan-favorite comedian Will Arnett.
Arnett played the characters for the hit 2017 animated Batman epic, The LEGO Batman Movie, as well as The LEGO Movie, a satirical brick-based take on the Dark Knight canon and his long-time partnership with the iconic toy brand (which will see several Bat-based sets debut in 2026). Despite The LEGO Batman Movie receiving generally positive reviews upon release (89% on Rotten Tomatoes) and a worldwide gross of $312 million, a sequel to the 2017 film has now been announced.
That has not stopped Arnett from voicing his hope to return to the character at some point in the future. In a new interview with Variety, the LEGO Batman voice actor shared that he "would love" to do more with the character, if given the opportunity.
"I love Lord and Miller. Those guys are the best," Arnett posited when talking about the movie's directing team of Christopher Lord and Phil Miller, adding, "That was a really fun time in my life."
A sequel to The LEGO Batman Movie was, at one point, in the works; however, it was ultimately cancelled as Universal purchased the movie rights to the LEGO brand in April 2020, and Warner Bros. owned the rights to Batman and other DC Comics characters.
Other DC Actors Hoping For Their Return
Zachary Levi
Ever since James Gunn and Peter Safran took over the DC brand, thus sunsetting the now-defunct DCEU, Shazam star Zachary Levi has been campaigning for his potential return to the role.
In a November 2025 interview with Feature First, Levi once again reiterated that he "[loves] playing Shazam" and would return "So long as it was something that was really worth:"
"Oh, yeah. I love playing Shazam. It was one of the most fun experiences...I grew up watching Christopher Reeve’s Superman and Tom Hanks' 'Big,' and I got to be both in one role. And he’s such a fun role... So long as it was something that was really worthy, like a character or a story is like, 'Oh, wow. that’s new or that’s different or that hasn’t, you know, that’s that’s a flavor that we haven’t really seen yet before.'"
Levi's future as the character remains unclear, even though we are now several years into the new DCYU experiment. When Gunn/Safran launched their new storytelling effort all the way back in 2022, Levi made it clear that he "doesn't know" what the future holds, and it seems that remains the case.
Tyler Hoechlin
From 2016 to 2024, Tyler Hoechlin brought to life The CW's Superman, popping up in his own Superman & Lois series, as well as crossing over into other CW properties, including, most notably, Supergirl. However, with his tenure as the Man of Steel now up, he is making a play for another DC superhero.
The veteran DC actor has expressed his desire to portray the DCU's new version of Batman. Speaking with Screen Rant at Fan Expo Canada 2025, Hoechlin joked that he does not want Robert Pattinson's take on the Dark Knight to crossover into the DCU because "selfishly...I still want to play Batman:"
"Well, selfishly, I'm going to say no because I still want to play Batman. I think and I say that Rob did a fantastic, fantastic job and [with] Matt Reeves it was great. So I'm happy to let them keep doing their thing, and maybe leave the door open..."
Since the DC Studios team announced their plans for an original Batman project, titled Brave and the Bold, rumors have swirled about an older take on the Caped Crusader being present in the interconnected canon. At 38 years old, Hoechlin could fit that perfectly.
Jai Courtney
Jai Courtney already has two DC appearances to his name, including one directed by DC Studios head James Gunn. Courtney previously brought Captain Boomerang to life in the pair of DCEU Suicide Squad films. Despite elements of those films having been brought over to the DCU, Courtney's character notably has not.
That has not been without him trying, though. In June 2025, Courtney was quoted as saying he would love the chance to return to the role, "if there's any more mileage to milk out of it" (via Screen Rant):
"I mean, sure, whatever. I'm open to anything. We can always have a conversation. But I think where that's coming from is, like, that's just a role that I loved playing, and it was sad to give him up. So if there's any more mileage to milk out of it, I'm your guy."
Given that some of his co-stars from the Suicide Squad movies have made the jump to the DCU, like John Cena's Peacemaker and Joel Kinnaman's Rick Flag, there is always the chance that Courtney's Captain Boomerang gets a similar treatment in a future project.
Pierce Brosnan
Pierce Brosnan's Doctor Fate was one of the last new DCEU characters introduced before Gunn and Safran were brought in to take over the franchise. This meant the leader of the Justice Society of America was almost getting booted out the door just as quickly as he was welcomed in.
If Gunn and the DC Studios team were to look the actor's way again to play the hero, Brosnan has said he would "be open to it" (per Deadline):
"I enjoyed that, the philosophy of that character, very much, and I would definitely be open to it."
Seeing as the Justice Society is a part of the DCU world (as confirmed by the now-infamous Hall of Justice mural seen in Superman), it would not be all that surprising if Brosnan's Doctor Fate were to come back in some form down the line.
Stephen Amell
Stephen Amell is one of the most beloved names associated with a DC hero. Amell played Oliver Queen (aka Green Arrow) from 2012 to 2020 in both his own solo series, Arrow, as well as the greater CW Arrowverse.
While he may have brought to life the beloved TV hero for nearly a decade, that has not stopped the actor from sharing his passion for the character. "I love playing the Green Arrow," Amell told Screen Rant when asked about potentially returning to the role:
"I love playing the Green Arrow, I love playing Oliver Queen. But I think, more than that, I like how it makes people feel when I come to these conventions, or just when I'm walking around on a daily basis. Not a day goes by that someone doesn't talk to me about Arrow, the Green Arrow, Oliver Queen. But they always then relate it back to their experience with the series, how it made them feel, whether they bonded with a sibling, or a parent, or a friend with the series."
To this point, there have been no Green Arrow-associated projects announced at DC Studios.
David Dastmalchian
David Dastmalchian has a similar case to Jai Courtney for a potential return to DC. Dastmalchian played Polka-Dot Man, one of the main characters of James Gunn's The Suicide Squad from 2021.
In July 2025, Dastmalchian told Screen Rant that he has not heard anything about coming back, but he is "always ready" and talked to Gunn "all the time:"
"I talk to James all the time; he's one of my best friends...And I'm always like the fireman, I'm always ready, I've got my bag ready. If James were to call me tomorrow and say, 'Hey, do you want to come do this thing?' I'd be there. I'd be there before we got off the phone. I hope and pray I get a chance to be on a James Gunn set again at some point in my life, because it was one of the best sets I've ever been on."
Over the years, Gunn has made it clear that once you are in the family, it is hard to get out, so whether it be as Polka-Dot Man or another character in the DC canon, Dastmalchian seems like a pretty good candidate for a potential future DCU role.
Aldis Hodge
While all the focus is now on Hawkgirl, that has not stopped some from discussing Aldis Hodge's performance as Hawkman.
Hodge remains open to coming back as the character, though, saying he'd be down if the phone were to ring. Noting that he loves the comic book movie genre (via Screen Rant), the Hawkman actor shared, "if the story is right [and] the timing right," he'd come back (via Screen Rant):
"Personally, I grew up a huge fan of graphic novel, superheroes, all that kind of stuff. 9B Collective, yes, we design superhero. So if it was something that came around that felt right, absolutely, but I'm also happy kicking it out here, being a fan. We stopped on the wrong floor, I saw a whole bunch of anime, and I was about to go, because we stopped on the wrong floor. I blame Samantha, because she was like, 'Mmm, popcorn,' and we stopped on the floor to get popcorn. I saw the floor, I was like, 'Oh, but do we have to work? Because I gotta go.'"
Hodge's one and only appearance as the winged hero came in 2022's Black Adam, in which he starred opposite Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson as the titular super-powered titan.
