(CBR) If anything highlights how desperate everyone is for news about Zack Snyder”s “Man of Steel” sequel following the controversial casting of Ben Affleck as Batman, it”s the quickly debunked rumor that circulated over the weekend that pop star Justin Bieber had been cast as Robin.
Oddly, the rumor originated with none other than Bieber, who Instagrammed a photo of himself with a fake script for “Batman Vs. Superman” with the hashtag #robin, along with a tweet that read, “Off to do something funny… or die,” referencing FunnyOrDie.com and lending credence to the idea that the photo was actually promotion for an upcoming sketch for the comedy website. Bieber”s supposed “casting” was firmly debunked by The Wrap, which cited a source with access to the real script (which presumably doesn”t say “Based on ‘Batman: The Dark Knight Falls'”).
While it”s somewhat understandable that Bieber”s photo gained so much traction following the already-controversial decision to cast Ben Affleck as Batman, the idea of the pop star as Robin is so inherently ridiculous that the ensuing frenzy – both amongst fans and media – is indicative of how starved fans are for “Man of Steel” sequel news: so much that it”s actually believable (Beliebable?) Justin Bieber would be cast in a major role for a tentpole Warner Bros. franchise intended to set up a DC Comics Cinematic Universe.
Of course, it”s not the first “Man of Steel 2”-related rumor to gain traction online – most notably the Bryan Cranston-as-Lex Luthor rumor that surfaced shortly after Ben Affleck was named as Batman. While the photo may have come from Bieber himself, there were very few fans or websites that reached out to comment from Warner Bros., Bieber”s representatives or anybody involved in the film before reporting Bieber”s photo with the script as a done deal. Does this just mean that more ridiculous rumors without reputable sources will start to circulate in the coming year and people will buy it? Bryan Cranston as Lex Luthor was at least somewhat plausible, but Justin Bieber as Robin is about as likely to happen as Miley Cyrus as Supergirl.
All that having been said, while the rumor mill admittedly got out of hand with this particular non-story, even we have to admit: Justin Bieber looks a lot like Carrie Kelly.