Not even a full day after it was confirmed that Ben Affleck is finished playing Batman, there are already betting odds regarding which actor could replace him. The caped crusader will next return in The Batman, directed by Matt Reeves, which is now officially set for release in summer 2021.

Director Zack Snyder caused a bit of a stir when he cast Affleck in the role of Bruce Wayne for Batman’s first DC Extended Universe outing, Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice. Affleck reprised the role briefly in Suicide Squad before returning to a leading role in Justice League, but now he’s ready to hang up the cape.

Now, with Batfleck not yet cold in his bat-grave, Irish bookmakers BoyleSports has already unveiled early odds for which actor will be cast to replace him. Topping the list are Armie Hammer (Free Fire), Jon Hamm (Mad Men), and Jake Gyllenhaal (who this year can be seen playing the Marvel villain Mysterio in Spider-Man: Far From Home). Check out the complete list below to see if your personal favorite choice made it - and what kind of odds are being offered.

  • 7/2 Armie Hammer 11/2 Jake Gyllenhaal 13/2 Jon Hamm 8/1 Michael B. Jordan 8/1 Ben Barnes 9/1 John Krasinski 10/1 Jamie Dornan 16/1 Josh Brolin 16/1 Matthew Goode 16/1 Chris Pratt 16/1 Michael Fassbender 16/1 Chris Pine 18/1 Ryan Gosling 33/1 Leonardo DiCaprio 33/1 Idris Elba 50/1 Keanu Reeves 50/1 Daniel Craig 50/1 Colin Farrell 50/1 Tom Hardy 50/1 Chris Evans 100/1 Cillian Murphy 100/1 Ewan McGregor 100/1 Henry Cavill 100/1 Hugh Jackman

As tempting as some of those odds might be, you probably shouldn’t put your money on any of them (especially that 100/1 odd that Henry Cavill, after playing the role of Superman, will be recast as Batman). Armie Hammer is likely the favorite because he was previously cast as Batman in Justice League: Mortal, a Justice League movie from Mad Max director George Miller that never actually got made.

Speaking on the Happy Sad Confused podcast in 2017, Hammer said that he doesn’t feel “a huge rush” to play a superhero, adding that, “I’m more interested now, in my artistic credibility and doing the projects that satiate me as an artist.” These movies include Boots Riley’s critically-acclaimed satire Sorry To Bother You and the romantic drama Call Me By Your Name, and in general Hammer has been leaning towards smaller and less action-oriented movies since his lead role in 2013’s The Lone Ranger failed to launch him as a blockbuster movie star. If anything, Hammer is the fan favorite to play Hal Jordan a.k.a. Green Lantern rather than Batman.

As for the other stars on the list, they mainly seem to be plucked from the who’s-who of Hollywood’s most famous male stars. If the reports that The Batman will feature a younger Bruce Wayne at the start of his superhero career are accurate, many of them are also probably too old for the role. However, at 32 and with no major franchises on his agenda just yet, Hammer just might prove the bookies right.

More: Casting The New Batman Actor: The Best Ben Affleck Replacements

Source: BoyleSports

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