The Batman: 6 Actors Who Could Play “Year One” Bruce Wayne

5. Jonathan Groff

Mindhunter Netflix
Netflix

Jonathan Groff built his reputation as a star of Broadway musicals (which led to his role in Disney’s Frozen), and while that’s an unusual path to Gotham, there’s mounting evidence of how good a fit he’d be for the part.

At 33 he’s just in the age bracket, with the looks to pass for a 30-year-old Bruce Wayne, and it’s easy to picture him in the mask too. But it’s his roles on TV that suggest he could step up for the big-screen Bruce, even if he’s probably the most out-there and unlikely shout on this list due to his lack of true star-status.

Evidenced in Boss and then really brought to light in David Fincher’s Mindhunter, Groff has shown he can play someone with a brilliant mind that has a darkness behind it, and the latter especially suggests he’d really be able to get into the psychology of the Bruce/Batman dichotomy, with a smiling facade hiding something much deeper and darker underneath, and the potential to really grow into the character over the course of what should be a trilogy from Reeves.

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NCTJ-qualified journalist. Most definitely not a racing driver. Drink too much tea; eat too much peanut butter; watch too much TV. Sadly only the latter paying off so far. A mix of wise-old man in a young man's body with a child-like wonder about him and a great otherworldly sensibility.