The debut of Dick Grayson in the DC Extended Universe has been a hot rumor for years and according to a new report, Maze Runner actor Dylan O'Brien could be donning the Nightwing suit.When Big Screen Leaks was asked directly if there was any truth to the rumor that O'Brien had been cast as Grayson, the pundit suggested there was. "I know he was definitely approached about the role," the tweet from BSL said before adding that it might not have been "made official."
Dick Grayson first appeared in Detective Comics #38 in April 1940 where he took the mantle of Batman's young sidekick Robin. Along with his family, Grayson was part of the circus acrobatic act "The Flying Graysons" and he met Batman after his parents were murdered and the Dark Knight investigated the crime. Now an orphan, he become Bruce Wayne's ward/adopted son. As a young adult, Grayson retired the Robin persona to become Nightwing and strike out as a hero in his own right.
Although Robin made a big screen appearance in Batman Forever and Batman & Robin, Nightwing has yet to appear in a live-action DC movie. Recent rumors regarding the filming of the Batgirl movie suggest that has changed and that "an actor we know all too well from MTV" will be playing Nightwing opposite Leslie Grace's Barbara Gordon/Batgirl.
The presence of Dick Grayson in the Batgirl movie is further supported by an on-set photo of an in-universe magazine. The cover of the magazine focuses on the Court of Owls, the shadowy criminal organization that consists of Gotham's wealthy and elite that has existed since colonial times. The Court of Owls recruits young children to train them as deadly assassins known as Talons and the magazine claims to have a feature with a former circus star that escaped their clutches. Whether this is direct evidence that Grayson will star in the movie or just an Easter egg for fans to spot remains to be seen.
Zack Snyder, the director and writer of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League also toyed with the idea of having Dick Grayson in his part of the DCEU. Although Snyder denied rumors that he approached Adam Driver with the role of Nightwing, he confirmed that the Robin suit hanging in the Batcave in Dawn of Justice was Grayson's. The suit belonged to a Robin murdered by the Joker, suggesting that at least in the Snyderverse, Grayson was already dead.
Source: Twitter