Jason Bateman names his dream biopic lead — and it's Ryan Reynolds

Jason Bateman is having one of those years where you look at his slate, look at the awards calendar, and go: yeah, that tracks. Two shows. Same Emmy cycle. Two characters who could not be more different. And in the middle of all that, he casually floats who he wants to play him in a biopic. Spoiler: he aims high.

Two shows, two wildly different Batemans

On Netflix, he is Vince in Black Rabbit, a charming chaos engine with a gambling problem. Over on HBO Max, he is Clark in DTF St. Louis, a kind, straight-arrow weatherman who gets pulled into a murder mystery. That range is the whole Bateman thing in a nutshell, and awards voters seem to be noticing: he is in the mix for Black Rabbit with DGA recognition and an actor award nod on top of the Emmy chatter.

The interview detour that turned into a biopic wishlist

In a new chat with Deadline, Bateman bounced through a bunch of career beats — including the very first lesson he ever got on a set, courtesy of Katharine Hepburn — then touched on DTF St. Louis and a little Arrested Development nostalgia before the conversation landed on a biopic question. He did what any sane person would do: briefly short-circuited, then name-checked a few ringers.

'Oh my god. I don’t know. I so admire the guys that do what I try to do, the Ben Stillers and the Paul Rudds and the Ryan Reynolds, ' Bateman said.

Translation: if someone ever has to play him, he thinks Ben Stiller, Paul Rudd, or his The Change-Up buddy Ryan Reynolds could pull it off. He also made sure to note he is, in fact, still alive — and not exactly clamoring for a movie about himself just yet. Hard to blame him when he is this busy.

DTF St. Louis vibes (and a quick shout to Steven Conrad)

DTF St. Louis has Bateman sharing the screen with David Harbour and Linda Cardellini, and the cast has already been out breaking down scenes — including an especially squirmy motel sequence. Series creator Steven Conrad has a knack for those awkward, original moments that nudge you somewhere you did not expect, and the trio has been giving him full credit for it.

What he is making next

• The Cackling of the Dodos (director ): a dark comedy with Woody Harrelson and Sam Rockwell as farmers who discover a body in a grain bin.
• The Partner (director): John Grisham adaptation starring Tom Holland as Biloxi attorney Patrick Lanigan.
• Also in the pipeline: a Netflix epic about Alexander, with the creator of Heated Rivalry set to write and direct while Bateman leads the charge.

Point is, at the career stage where a lot of folks start easing off the gas, Bateman is piling on gigs and doubling up on awards runs. A biopic? Eventually, sure. For now, he is too busy giving voters options.

Who would you cast to play Jason Bateman — Stiller, Rudd, Reynolds, or someone totally out of left field?