Ever since Robert Pattinson was cast in The Batman, there have been a number of rumors about who he’ll square off against in the upcoming film. However, it looks like Warner Bros. and director Matt Reeves are looking to cast another major supporting role before they decide who will play the film’s villain. According to Deadline, Jeffrey Wright is currently “in talks” to join the reboot as Commissioner James Gordon.
Wright has spent the last three years starring as Bernard Lowe on HBO’s Westworld. On the film side, he has appeared in The Hunger Games series, Source Code, and this month’s The Goldfinch. Next year, he will return to the James Bond franchise as Felix Leiter in No Time to Die. If Wright formally joins The Batman, it will be the second comic book role he lands this year. It was previously announced that he will voice Uatu the Watcher in Marvel Studios’ What If…? animated series for Disney+.
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Wright will be the first African-American to play Jim Gordon in a theatrical film. Of course he won’t be the first actor to bring Gotham City’s police commissioner to life on the big screen. The role has been memorably played over the decades by the likes of Neil Hamilton, Pat Hingle, and Gary Oldman. Most recently, J.K. Simmons played the character in Justice League in 2017. Although we’ve known this for a while, Wright’s casting would further confirm that The Batman takes place outside of DCEU continuity.
The Batman arrives in theaters on June 25, 2021.
What are your thoughts on Jeffrey Wright playing Commissioner Gordon in The Batman? Give us your impressions in the comment section below!
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