When Paramount first announced the actors who would portray our heroes in a half shell in the latest TMNT reboots, it didn’t exactly surprise anyone. After all, these guys were just going to walk around wearing funny looking suits that would be replaced by CGI characters in the long run. Heck, Paramount even made the decision to replace their voices in post, which meant that the actual people who played the turtles were all but forgotten. That being said, one of the most notable names behind those CGI masks was definitely Alan Ritchson, the man who took on the role of Raphael.
Ritchson was perhaps best known as the actor who played Aquaman in the hit series Smallville, which meant that he had plenty of experience in the role of a hero. Although he only really acted out the movements of Raphael, his performance was still pretty good. Now that he’s had a few opportunities to play super heroes, it’s fair to say that his resume is looking decent in a world filled with potential comic book movies on the horizon. One of those films is Shazam, and it looks like Alan has an interest in the title role.
NEW YORK, NY – MAY 20: Actress Megan Fox (R) and actor Alan Ritchson as Ninja Turtle Raphael are seen filming on location for “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” on May 20, 2013 in New York City. (Photo by Matthew Eisman/WireImage)
To be clear, this rumor isn’t exactly new, but it is looking even more possible as the production date grows near. Ritchson has been teasing fans with the possibility since 2016, and he recently posted yet another tweet suggesting that this might actually happen. Previous rumors had Armie Hammer taking the role, but he has since confirmed that this isn’t the case. Considering Ritchson’s likeness to the super hero, it would definitely be fitting to see him take on Shazam.
Heck, all he would need is a little bit of makeup and he’d look exactly like Shazam! Given his previous experience as a DC Comics character in Smallville, something tells me he would be an excellent fit for the hero. Although I didn’t see this coming, something tells me that the fans would be perfectly happy with this casting decision. Here’s hoping that the man behind Raphael’s actions gets the opportunity to play a somewhat more substantial role in this planned DC Comics movie.
