Whoa! Joey Lawrence Really, Really Wants to Be the Next Batman

After years of speculation, Ben Affleck has finally confirmed that he is indeed retiring his cape and handing the role of Batman off to yet another actor. Just who that actor will be is the real question. Both fans and Hollywood insiders have spent months theorizing about who could play the Caped Crusader next. While Armie Hammer and Jon Hamm seem to be the frontrunners, the buzz—and list of actors being considered for the role—will only grow until Warner Bros. and The Batman director Matt Reeves officially announce their new leading man. Which gives '90s sitcom star Joey Lawrence plenty of time to try to convince the powers that be that he is Batman. Whoa!

While you probably know Joey Lawrence for his parts in sitcoms like Melissa & Joey, Blossom, and Brotherly Love—not to mention his one-time musical career, or his awesomely '90s catchphrase "Whoa!"—he’s clearly been pining for the perfect dark and brooding role to come along. The 42-year-old has taken to Instagram to fervently profess his desire to become The Dark Knight.

Lawrence's grassroots campaign to be cast as the next Batman began in earnest back in January, when he told his (181,000) followers, “I want this part! Let’s do this!! Been dreaming of saving #Gotham far back as my memory goes!” He implored his fans to help make this casting dream come true by letting Warner Bros. and DC Comics know that they, too, want Blossom's dumb brother to land this role!

After Affleck officially announced his retirement from the DC Universe, Lawrence reminded his fans of his lifelong superhero dreams—then offered up that casting him would essentially be the same as casting Chris Pratt in Guardians of the Galaxy.

When Affleck admitted that part of his reason for departing the DC Universe was that he "couldn't crack" the role of Batman, Lawrence swore that wouldn't be a problem for him.

Lawrence’s most recent Batman-centric posts shows a side-by-side photo of him and Gotham's Dark Knight, plus an announcement that a petition to get him the part has in fact been started.

The petition, which has a goal of 1000 signatures, had 770 at press time. While we’re not sure having 1000 people in your corner is the way to convince a major studio that you can front a multi-billion-dollar franchise and play a role that has previously been filled by a bunch of Oscar winners, it's better than nothing, right?

With The Batman slated for a 2021 theatrical release, Warner Bros. has either found their new Batman and just hasn't announced it yet, has narrowed it down to just a couple of key names, or they're currently searching Change.org for possible actors to fill the role.