Armie Hammer Addresses Rumors That He’s Replacing Ben Affleck as Batman

Last month it became official that Ben Affleck would be hanging up his Batman mask and exiting the DC Extended Universe, leaving the position of Caped Crusader open for the taking. Not long after, Armie Hammer‘s name popped up as a potential replacement in the rumor mill. Though, according to the Call Me By Your Name star, it’s way too early to say whether or not that will happen.

Hammer addressed rumors that he was suiting up as the superhero, saying, “No one who can actually give me the job has asked me if I’m interested …I don’t even know if they are done–they are still working on a script,” he told Yahoo Movies. “I don’t think that they are close to production but I can conclusively tell you that no one has checked my availability, which is a bummer.”

So it’s not that Hammer is against playing the role; he just hasn’t been officially asked yet — which is a good thing for anyone holding out hope that we might get Hammer as Batman and, in a dream scenario, Timothée Chalamet as Robin. After all, Chalamet is a Batman fan. Back in October when a rumor suggested he would be playing Batman, Chalamet laughed it off and added, “The Dark Knight is one of my favorite films.” Plus, he did once audition for Spider-Man. (Sadly he didn’t get the part.)

Interestingly, Hammer actually has a history with Batman. Back in 2007, he was briefly cast in the role by George Miller in the Justice League film but it never ended up happening, as IndieWire notes.

One thing in Hammer (and Chalamet’s favor): Director Matt Reeves is specifically in search of a Batman who’s younger than Affleck. The new film, according to Reeves, will be a mystery thriller. “It’s very much a point of view-driven, noir Batman tale,” he explained to The Hollywood Reporter. “It’s told very squarely on his shoulders, and I hope it’s going to be a story that will be thrilling but also emotional. It’s more Batman in his detective mode than we’ve seen in the films… The comics have a history of that. He’s supposed to be the world’s greatest detective, and that’s not necessarily been a part of what the movies have been…. I’d love this to be one where when we go on that journey of tracking down the criminals and trying to solve a crime, it’s going to allow his character to have an arc so that he can go through a transformation.” Just saying, few working young actors do a transformation better than Hammer and Chalamet.