Robert Pattinson's Batman may have found his arch rival in Jonah Hill, but exactly who Hill will play is still up in the air.
Hill is in talks to star alongside Pattinson in The Batman, the long-gestating Matt Reeves-directed Batman movie, but it hasn't been agreed which villain the 35-year-old will play. According to The Hollywood Reporter, notable DC Comics villains the Riddler and the Penguin are both in the mix.
"It is unclear if the two sides will be able to find common ground," the Hollywood Reporter adds.
The Riddler was famously played by Jim Carrey in 1995's Batman Forever. That film, directed by Joel Schumacher, starred Val Kilmer as Batman and also featured Tommy Lee Jones as Two-Face.
Danny DeVito, meanwhile, played the Penguin in Tim Burton's Batman Returns in 1992, appearing opposite Michael Keaton in the sequel to 1989's Batman.
Another key puzzle piece in bringing The Batman to fruition is the role of Gotham police commissioner Jim Gordon. Westworld star Jeffrey Wright is reportedly being lined up to play the role. Gary Oldman played Gordon in Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight movies. J.K. Simmons played Gordon in 2017's Justice League.
The Batman set for 2021 release
Reeves' The Batman is dated for a June 25, 2021, release—almost six years after it was initially announced.
The project was initially conceived as a standalone Batman feature to be directed, written and starring former Batman, Ben Affleck, who first played the caped crusader in 2016's Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice and reprised the role in 2017's Justice League.
By January 2017, Affleck stepped down as director, but committed to starring in the film. "There are certain characters who hold a special place in the hearts of millions. Performing this role demands focus, passion and the very best performance I can give. It has become clear that I cannot do both jobs to the level they require," Affleck said at the time.
Reeves, best known for directing Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and War for the Planet of the Apes, signed on as director a month later. Reeves also wrote his own script for the movie, describing The Batman as a "noir-driven detective version of Batman that is point-of-view driven in a very, very powerful way."
In January, it was confirmed Affleck would not star in The Batman, with reports claiming the character would skew younger in this film than Affleck's older, more grizzled Batman. Twilight veteran Pattinson signed up to play the comic book hero in May.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
