"Stranger Things 2" actor Dacre Montgomery has fans wondering if he is portraying Batman's first protégé-turned-independent vigilante Dick Grayson aka Nightwing in Warner Brothers' DC Cinematic Universe.
The 22-year-old star posted a photo of the character to his Twitter and Instagram accounts over the weekend with no caption other than an ellipsis. The posts have since been deleted.
It is hard to say what these meant. Some were quick to speculate that he was teasing his involvement in the film while others believe he was just drumming up interest via social media. Either way, it drew a lot of excitement, gaining thousands of likes and retweets before it was taken down.
However, Chris McKay who is directing the film is setting the record straight. He denied the claims that they have started the casting process, hinting that when they do, there will be an open casting call. The director did not give an exact date when the casting would begin, but he did happily say that they may enter-preproduction next year.
We haven’t started the process of casting NIGHTWING yet but when we do you’ll hear something because our search will be far and wide
— Chris McKay (@buddboetticher) November 5, 2017 " data-caption="null" data-credit="null">Yes I think it can provided the script is crazy great
— Chris McKay (@buddboetticher) November 5, 2017 " data-caption="null" data-credit="null">Montgomery is not the only actor linked to Nightwing. Back in September, "American Horror Story" star Finn Wittrock was also rumored to play the lead role.
Per Comic Book, it started when McKay followed the actor on Twitter. An anonymous source then asserted the claim, saying he got the information by making connections using the DC Extended Universe page. Obviously, that has now been debunked too.
Whoever nabs the role, though, McKay said in the past that he should be ready for a full-blown commitment. "Every day. It is going to be grueling from a martial arts, gymnastics and stunt perspective. Also emotionally taxing. It's going to be real," he shared on Twitter.
"Nightwing" has no release date yet, but it is said to feature nods to the character's past, potentially connecting to the Batman's story in Ben Affleck's upcoming film.
