UPDATE: Sony has delayed the Helldivers movie to June 9, 2028, with Ritchson now set to star.
Alan Ritchson is in talks to star in Sony’s Helldivers movie, Deadline reports, stepping into the lead role Jason Momoa walked away from in June.
And sources tell me there’s a DC side to this story.
I’m told Ritchson passed on playing Batman for James Gunn because Gunn’s Batman plan was nothing more than a cameo in Man of Tomorrow.
Ritchson is particular about the roles he chooses, per the same sources, so he’s choosing a Helldivers lead over a one-and-done Batman cameo.
Gunn’s Batman Plan: A Man of Tomorrow Cameo
The Batman side of this has been building all summer.
As I exclusively reported, Ritchson sat at the top of Gunn’s Batman board for a bigger, older, darker Dark Knight.
On July 24, he went speechless when Josh Horowitz asked the Batman question and signed off the interview with a “detective” clue.
Two days later at Comic-Con, he said Batman wasn’t in the cards and that his DC conversations were about another character.
Now we know what was actually on the table.
Sources say Gunn’s Batman wasn’t the lead of The Brave and the Bold. The plan was a cameo in Man of Tomorrow, a one-off appearance to introduce the character, with nothing guaranteed after it.
That lines up with everything I reported on August 6: the Paramount merger contract explains the entire Batman stall. Warner Bros. can’t lock in long-term franchise deals on its own right now, and Man of Tomorrow has been filling up with cameo contracts, the only paper Paramount never sees.
I wrote it back then: a one-and-done Batman does nothing for Alan Ritchson.
Sources now say that’s exactly the deal that was in front of him. He said no.
Man of Tomorrow wrapped filming on August 26. If a Batman cameo is in that movie, it isn’t Alan Ritchson.
A Franchise Lead Instead Of One Scene
Back to Super Earth.
Per Deadline, nothing is signed yet and Sony had no comment. If the deal closes, Ritchson plays one of the Helldivers, with more roles to be announced.
Justin Lin (Fast & Furious, Star Trek Beyond) is still directing, and he produces with Hutch Parker and PlayStation Productions’ Asad Qizilbash through his Perfect Storm Entertainment. Gary Dauberman (It, Annabelle) wrote the first script, with Bad Boys for Life‘s Chris Bremner penning the latest draft, per THR.
Plot details are under wraps, and the movie hits theaters on November 10, 2027.
When Momoa exited in June, I said the role called for someone who fits the grounded, boots-on-the-ground tone of the games instead of Momoa’s bigger, goofier energy.
Ritchson — Jack Reacher himself — is that guy.
It would also mark the first time Ritchson headlines a theatrical studio movie, per THR.
And he has no shortage of options. Ritchson signed a first-look feature deal with Netflix in August off the back of War Machine‘s 139.9 million views, with the MotoGP heist movie, Maelstrom, and more Reacher all on the calendar.
A star with that slate doesn’t take a walk-on part.
Gunn’s Batman came with one scene and no guarantees. Helldivers comes with the lead of a Sony franchise.
