'Fantastic Beasts' actor Dan Fogler set to play 'Batman' producer Michael Uslan in stage play

WASHINGTON: Dan Fogler, best known for his role in 'Fantastic Beasts', is taking on a new challenge by stepping into the world of Batman.

The 'Fantastic Beast' actor will play longtime Batman executive producer Michael Uslan in a stage play based on Uslan's 2011 memoir, The Boy Who Loved Batman.

The play is produced by Nederlander Worldwide Productions and will run from October 1 to November 10 at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts in Tampa, Florida, with hopes of eventually making it to Broadway.

The memoir, which was published in 2011, tells Uslan's journey from a comic book enthusiast to becoming a key figure in the world of Batman movies.

Uslan started out teaching a comic book class at Indiana University and worked at DC Comics during his summers. After law school, he landed a job at United Artists and became closely involved with the rise of early comic book movies, particularly those featuring Batman.

Uslan has been credited on every Batman-related movie since Tim Burton's 1989 Batman, including films like Joker and Justice League. Uslan expressed his excitement about Fogler taking on the role, praising his talent and passion, as per The Hollywood Reporter.

"Dan's exceptional talent, comic timing, impressive stage presence and deep, enthusiastic roots as an unabashed fanboy make him the perfect actor to take on the obviously challenging, complicated role of Michael Uslan," Uslan quips.

"From the first moment he was given the script, Dan has been spot-on in his approach to the material, and I could not be happier that he agreed to join us on this journey." Fogler, who won a Tony Award in 2005 for his role in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, is thrilled to return to the stage.

"I can't wait to be back on stage again, and Batman and comic books are two of my favorite subjects," Fogler said. "I was 12 in 1989 and seeing Batman on screen -- how he was meant to be in all his dark brooding glory -- was a life-changing experience.

It was electric, and I can't wait to tell the story of how it all came to be," he added. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Fogler also said that the play has something for everyone, tapping into the heart of pop culture. "You will laugh and you will cry and you'll walk away loving Batman even more than you do now," he said.