Don Draper could make his way to Gotham City. A new report claims former "Mad Men" star Jon Hamm wants to be Batman, a role which his good friend, Ben Affleck, has been portraying, but seems hesitant in reprising.
Citing a source close to the production of Matt Reeve's "The Batman," Radar Online reports Hamm, 46, is "gunning hard" to replace Affleck, 45, as DC Extended Universe's Caped Crusader. Hamm has reportedly started courting Reeves who, in turn, thinks of him as a stellar candidate.
While the director has been eyeing Jake Gyllenhaal for the role, Hamm would apparently make a smoother replacement as his age is closer to that of Affleck's. That means his film does not have to undergo major changes and would still feature an older, seasoned version of Batman.
This is quite a surprise for some, considering Affleck and Hamm have been close friends for quite some time. They starred together in the 2010 Affleck-helmed film "The Town" and were drinking buddies until Hamm started his journey to sobriety in 2015.
According to the insider, their friendship is still solid, and Hamm is very much aware of the criticisms his friend has faced since debuting in "Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice." However, for the "Mad Men" alum, his campaign for the role is reportedly purely business.
Of course, the role is still in Affleck's hands for now, but his future as the Caped Crusader has been a topic discussion among DC fans ever since rumors broke in July that he is stepping down from the role after "Justice League."
The actor initially denied the allegations, stressing to the San Diego Comic-Con audience of more than 10,000 people that he is "the luckiest guy" for having the opportunity to play Batman, which he called "is the coolest f**king part in any universe, DC Marvel." However, the actor has since started showing reluctance in reprising his role.
He previously revealed he does not want to play Batman forever and is looking for a cool and graceful way to leave the DCEU. When asked about his future in the DCEU, he also said he does not actually know how many more times he will portray Batman after "Justice League."
Neither Hamm nor Reeves has confirmed the claims yet, so this is best taken with a grain of salt for now. It would be interesting, though, if Hamm ends up slipping in Affleck's Batsuit since he once said superhero roles do not fit his career preferences.
In a 2014 interview, he revealed he has been in contention for a few superhero roles before, but made the right choice of saying no because he does not want to be locked into playing the same character for years.
