‘The Batman’ reportedly adding Jonah Hill as Riddler, Jeffrey Wright as Gordon
Matt Reeves’ film The Batman appears to be set casting Jonah Hill as Riddler with Jeffrey Wright coming on board as Commissioner Gordon.
With Robert Pattinson set to play Bruce Wayne, Batman, to face off against Hill as Variety reported that “producers had long wanted Hill for the project, but casting decisions were put on hold until the role of Batman was filled. The deal hasn’t closed and sources say it could still fall apart, but both sides are engaging on Hill joining. As for who Hill is playing, that’s still being worked out as well, but sources say he’s being eyed for a villain role.”
There are thoughts that Hill may be playing Penguin, which seems like a possibility as well.
Pre-production on the Warner Bros.-DC Comics movie is expected to start this summer. No official production start date has been set, although insiders tell Variety that filming could start in late 2019 or early 2020.
Variety also reports Westworld‘s Wright is in talks to join the movie as Commissioner Gordon, last played by Gary Oldman in the Christopher Nolan trilogy.
Reeves took over Batman directing duties from Ben Affleck in January 2017 and has been developing the elusive project ever since. Affleck was in talks to depart his role as Batman following Justice League, allowing Reeves to pick his own Bruce Wayne. Reeves’ Planet of the Apes collaborator Dylan Clark is also attached as producer.
“To be honest, it was less vitriolic than I was expecting,” Pattison said of the fans’ reaction of the casting news, adding, “It’s much more fun when you’re an underdog. There’s no expectation of you.”
Pattinson, 33, also said the experience of putting on the Batsuit for the first time was “transformative.”
“You do feel very powerful immediately,” he shared. “And it’s pretty astonishing, something that is incredibly difficult to get into, so the ritual of getting into it is pretty humiliating. You’ve got five people trying to shove you into something. Once you’ve got it on, it’s like, ‘Yeah, I feel strong, I feel tough, even though I had to have someone squeezing my butt cheeks into the legs.’”
“You’re trying to think of the way to balance, how to bring something new to it and not want to scare people off,” the actor said of bringing a fresh face to the famous franchise. “And work in the confines of the costume.”
While appearing on Barstool Sports’ “My Mom’s Basement” podcast, Variety’s Justin Kroll mentioned that women of color were being looked at for the role of Catwoman, expect news to drop soon.
The Batman is currently scheduled to hit theaters in June of 2021.
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