James Gunn has recast a number of characters after deciding to rebrand DC Extended Universe (DCEU) to DC Universe (DCU). Gunn just confirmed that they had already found an actor to portray one of theBatmanvillains.
Gunn and Peter Safran became the co-chairmen and co-CEOs of DC Studios in October 2022. With their new positions, they decided to shift the direction and vision ofDC’s cinematic and television properties. Among the biggest changes they made was recastingSuperman. Henry Cavill was initially set to return as the Man of Steel in another movie, but Gunn and Safran decided to move forward withDavid Corenswet inSuperman: Legacy. Gunn has been working on severalBatmanshows, which are separate fromMatt Reeves' movies starring Robert Pattinson. Among the projects he has been working on areThe Brave and the Bold,The Penguinseries and the animated seriesCreature Commandos. The director and filmmaker recently confirmed that they had already recast one of the recurring villains inBatmanand he would be making his debut inCreature Commandos.
Benjamin Byron Davis, an actor and writer who appeared inBorderlands(2024),Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3(2023),Ant-Man and the Wasp(2018) andThe Belko Experiment(2016), to name a few, will voice Rupert Thorne inCreature Commandos. Gunn confirmed this on social media when he commented on Davis' post onInstagram. In the post, Davis shared a screenshot of Gunn’s comment calling him Rupert Thorne. “@bigbendavis Hi Rupert Thorne,” Gunn’s comment read. The post also featured a screenshot of Thorne, presumably from the animated series coming out next month, with a subtitle that reads, “It’s business.”
Davis confirmed his casting in Gunn’s animated series in the caption of his post. “Well, the cat is out of the bag…Thrilled to be able to share I’ll be bringing Rupert Thorne to the DCU alongside the absolutely remarkable ensemble James Gunn has assembled for ‘Creature Commandos’ Faces are going to melt…” he wrote. The post received several comments from other online users who were happy about Davis' casting. For them, he was fit for the role and was the perfect actor to voice the character. “Damn this is great casting! You’ll kill it as Rupert Thorne!” one commented. Another said, “That is spot on casting,” with clapping hands emoji.
Gunn is working on his own version ofBatmanand Davis' casting may go beyond the animated series. In the animated series, Thorne is depicted as a powerful crime lord with a long-standing feud with Batman. Thorne is a significant character in theBatmanuniverse. He is a corrupt businessman and politician who manipulates Gotham’s legal and political systems. Due to this, he becomes at odds with Batman as the latter tries to disrupt his influence and end his crime syndicate. Also, he was involved in the accident that led to Harvey Dent’s facial disfiguration, which led to the birth ofthe supervillain, Two-Face. Hence, there is a possibility that Davis could play Thorne on the big screen. Fans would surely love seeing Davis as Thorne in the cinemas because they are supportive of his casting.
