Before Affleck donned the cape and cowl in Batman v Superman, martial arts actor Scott Adkins (Boyka: Undisputed, Accident Man, Ninja) was one of the names attached to the role, with rumours circulating that Warner Bros. had auditioned action star. Below is video footage of his audition tape. Prepare to be wowed. Adkins might just be the perfect man for the job.

“They asked me to audition. Yeah, so I did. But that’s as far as it went. I know there was a big campaign on the Internet, which was great for the free publicity, but I think that’s because, obviously, Batman is a martial artist to such that’s his superpower. Isn’t it? People are disappointed that he has not been shown off as the martial artist he should be. I guess I look like Bruce Wayne,” Adkins said in an interview with Behind the Mask Presents.

With Affleck now stepping away from the role, and rumours of Matt Reeves’ looking for a new actor to play the iconic superhero, Scott Adkins might stand a chance, again. Although, he is now 42-years-old.

The English actor, who is trained in ninjutsu, judo, karate, jujutsu, wushu, Krav Maga, capoeira and (breathe) jeet kune do, shows off a lot of his acting abilities in the linked video. However, it’s clearly his martial arts abilities that are most impressive. Still, he seems comfortable and more than adequate as Bruce Wayne here.

Over the years, Adkins has a made a name for himself by acting in many B action movies and smaller roles in blockbusters, including Marvel’s Doctor Strange, Zero Dark Thirty and X-Men Origins: Wolverine, where he shared the role with Ryan Reynolds.

Even if Scott was overlooked for the upcoming Reeves’ The Batman, we’d personally love to see him as the Caped Crusader on a different medium. In the Titans show perhaps?

He’s got the look. He’s got the moves. He’s got the acting ability. What more is it going to take to convince Warner Bros. that Scott Adkins is the Batman we deserve?