John Ridley Rumored to Take Over as Batman Writer

Batman may soon have a new driving creative force behind it, and possibly a new character under the mask. Bleeding Cool is reporting that John Ridley will take over as the writer of DC Comics' ongoing Batman series after the release of Batman #100. Ridley is the Academy Award-winning writer of 12 Years a Slave. He's also the creator and showrunner of the television anthology series American Crime. His previous comics work include The Authority: Human on the Inside, The Razor's Edge: Warblade, The American Way and its sequel, The American Way: Those Above and Those Below. He had previously been working on The Other History of the DC Universe, a project that would retell the history of the DC Universe from the point of view of disenfranchised groups, but that project has been delayed.

According to Bleeding Cool, Ridley's run on Batman will likely begin with a new Batman #1. It will also see Luke Fox, the son of longtime Batman ally Lucius Fox who was formerly the hero called Batwing, taking over for Bruce Wayne as the new Batman in Gotham City.

ComicBook.com reached out to DC Comics about the report. DC Comics had no comment.

Luke Fox taking over the role of Batman is rumored to be part of DC's "5G" plan. The plan is said to involve a new generation of heroes taking on the mantles of classic DC Comics characters.

Batman #100 is expected to release in August 2020. If the transition happens then, it would conclude the Batman run of James Tynion IV, who is taking over the series with issue #86 following the end of Tom King's run.

"I loved writing stories for [Batman] Eternal, Detective Comics, and even Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, but my desire to tell a Batman story, one focusing solely on Bruce Wayne instead of an ensemble, is what drove me back to the Batcave," Tynion said in a statement when his appointment to Batman was announced. "I want to dig deep into the Bat himself and tell an epic story that pushes him to his absolute limits. I want to tell a Batman story like the kinds I grew up loving, one that embraces the horror and gothic elegance of Gotham and dives deep into Batman's greatest villains."

How do you feel about John Ridley taking over as the new writer of Batman in 2020? Let us know what you think about it in the comments.