House of the Dragon’s Harry Collett asks James Gunn for a shot at being Batman’s sidekick in the DCU

House of the Dragon star Harry Collett just did the thing actors pretend not to do: he publicly raised his hand for a superhero gig. And not just any cape — he wants Nightwing in James Gunn 's DCU.

How it came up

During a chat with ComicBook, Collett — who plays Jacaerys Velaryon on House of the Dragon — got asked about the fan casting that keeps following him around online: Dick Grayson, aka Nightwing, the original Robin. He admitted the character was not really on his radar at first, but fans kept sliding the idea into his mentions. Then the interviewer pointed out he has 'a great Dick Grayson look,' and you could practically hear the light bulb click on.

'James Gunn, please.'

That was Collett's on-camera pitch. No coyness, no hedging — just tossing the ball directly to the guy running the DCU.

Where Nightwing fits in the DCU right now

• DC Studios is developing The Brave and the Bold as part of Chapter One: Gods and Monsters.
• The movie is expected to focus on Damian Wayne (Bruce Wayne's son) as Robin, which strongly suggests Dick Grayson is older and already operating as Nightwing by the time this story takes place.
• If that's the setup, Nightwing would likely be a key piece of Gunn's new Bat-Family — the connective tissue between generations.
• Live-action so far: Brenton Thwaites suited up as Nightwing on Titans, and Chris O'Donnell played Robin in Batman Forever and Batman & Robin. Despite decades of comic-book popularity, Nightwing has never anchored a major live-action movie.
• With The Brave and the Bold still in development — and a Teen Titans project also reportedly percolating — the odds of Nightwing showing up somewhere in the DCU seem pretty high.

The timing and the chatter

Collett has been doing the House of the Dragon press circuit, reflecting on how he has essentially grown up alongside Jacaerys. Meanwhile, fans have been fanning — edits, posts, and even prompts on X asking if people would back him as Nightwing started popping up around June 13, 2026. None of that equals a casting shortlist, but the grassroots drumbeat is there.

The bottom line

There is no official Nightwing casting news, and The Brave and the Bold is still behind the curtain. But Collett made his interest crystal clear, and the DCU has multiple doors where Dick Grayson could walk in. Your move, Mr. Gunn.

Would Harry Collett be your pick for the DCU's Nightwing? If not, who is your Dick Grayson?