The new live action ‘Titans’ series coming next year to Warner Brothers’ new DC Comics streaming entertainment service has found its leading man a.k.a. Dick Grayson/Nightwing. Australian actor Brenton Thwaites has landed the role of Batman’s former sidekick-turned-police officer and the leader of the Titans. Thwaites has been making the rounds in big budget Hollywood flicks but hasn’t quite managed to break through to the big time. His first big role came as Prince Phillip in ‘Maleficent’, which was quickly followed by the lead role of Jonas in the YA adaptation ‘The Giver’. Most recently, he was seen in this summer’s ‘Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales’ as Henry Turner, the son of Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley’s Will and Elizabeth Swann Turner.
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[Male, late 20s-early 30s, Caucasian] – Equal parts charm and impenetrability, [Grayson] is a cop. He has a nice smile, tired eyes and a cool, distant manner. However, when provoked, his eyes are so lethal “they drain a man of every last bit of spleen.” [Grayson] is haunted by the murder of his family. Unbeknownst to those around him, he is also a vigilante. In the shadows, he fights with the commitment and conviction of an artist, the brutal grace of a dancer. Mentally and physically, he is covered in a map of scars. And though he fights to escape his past, it is often a losing battle…
Details about the ‘Titans’ TV series haven’t really been revealed. The concept comes from DC Comics’ ‘Teen Titans’, which initially starred the teenage sidekicks of the adult members of the Justice League of America. But over time, the group has evolved to include other characters including some original creations.
Famously, in 1984 Dick Grayson ditched his identity as Robin the Boy Wonder, sidekick to Batman and became his own man, taking on the guise of Nightwing. The description of this show sounds like we will see this evolution played out on screen.
The ‘Titans’ pilot will be written by Johns, Akiva Goldsman, and Greg Berlanti, the mastermind behind the existing DC TV hits. The three will executive produce along with Sarah Schechter.
An unrelated ‘Nightwing’ film, directed by Chris McKay is in development as part of WB’s DC Extended Universe.
What do you think about this casting? Does Thwaites have what it takes to play Dick Grayson?
Jax's earliest memory is of watching 'Batman,' followed shortly by a memory of playing Batman & Robin with a friend, which entailed running outside in just their underwear and towels as capes. When adults told them they couldn't run around outside in their underwear, both boys promptly whipped theirs off and ran around in just capes.
