The Next Batman? Brandon Sklenar Says He’d Be “More True to the Comic” (And Mourns ‘1923’)

Following his standout turn in the forever controversial film It Ends with Us, Brandon Sklenar continues to rise in the ranks in Hollywood with recent hit projects on both the big and small screens. First, there was Taylor Sheridan’s acclaimed Yellowstone spinoff series 1923, which just came to a tragic end in Season 2 last week and saw Sklenar’s character Spencer Dutton go through the wringer. Now, there’s the latest Blumhouse film Drop, hitting theaters this week and showcasing more of Sklenar’s performance range — including a few surprises on the physical side. It is a thriller after all, with a climactic third act set atop a Chicago skyscraper…

Even before Sklenar showcased his talents in Drop, fans were already chatting online about how they could see him portraying a certain beloved superhero: Batman. MovieWeb recently caught up with the 34-year-old performer in Los Angeles while he was promoting Drop, and Sklenar also addressed the buzz about moviegoers picturing him as the next Caped Crusader following Robert Pattinson’s portrayal in Matt Reeves’ recent projects (with The Batman 2 very much in the works).

“I’d make it my own for sure — like, more true to the comic,” Sklenar told us in picturing how he’d portray the DC superhero in a potential project. “I love Christian [Bale’s] version, probably my favorite version of Batman. But I’d want him to see, like, lean more into Bruce Wayne being Bruce Wayne, how he is in the comics, and then make Batman as dark as possible.”

Spencer from 1923: “I Miss Him”

As a certain career saying goes, “when you’re hot… you’re hot.” Funny timing that Sklenar’s critically acclaimed Blumhouse flick is “dropping” in theaters as his hit TV series came to an end just days earlier. “I mean, it’s a trip,” he told us. “I haven’t seen [the 1923 finale] yet. I have been doing press and whatnot. But yeah, honestly, I haven’t had time to even process it or think about it… But I’m sure when I get home here in a few days, it’ll hit me.” Sklenar’s 1923 character Spencer Dutton was a favorite for many viewers, and the way TV titan Taylor Sheridan decided to conclude the show has certainly been keeping the internet abuzz in recent days. He adds:

Sklenar’s Drop co-star Meghann Fahy (The White Lotus), who plays the lead role and first date to Sklenar’s character Henry in their new thriller, also joined our interview. The Emmy-nominated actress weighed in on Sklenar’s latest roles, comparing Spencer from 1923 to Henry from Drop. “Love Henry, sweet guy,” she said. “He’s a good boy, a little different from Spencer Dutton, yeah, but still just as much heart.”

Sklenar replied, when thinking about Henry, “Yeah, just as much heart — just a little less garbage… a little cleaner heart. Yeah, less whiskey, less gunpowder.”

Check out the heart in Sklenar’s latest film role for yourself. From Universal Pictures, Drop is now playing in theaters, and 1923 is streaming on Paramount+ through the link below: