Actor Jake Gyllenhaal recently addressed whether he would be interested in portraying Bruce Wayne/Batman in James Gunn’s forthcoming DC Universe.
While speaking with Screen Rant to promote his new action movie, Road House, Gyllenhaal was asked if he would still jump at the chance to bring the Dark Knight to life on the big screen.
“Oh, man. That’s a classic,” he remarked. “It’s an honor. Speaking of playing roles that other incredible actors have played in the past, to me actually roles that other incredible actors have played in the past, which, to me, actually, when I think about it, I’m going to play Iago in Othello with Denzel Washington, and I think about like the history of actors that have played that role throughout time, and I’m intimidated by that.”
He continued, “So that’s the first level. That’s what I’m working on right now. But of course. It would be an honor always. Those types of things and those roles are classics.”
Jake Gyllenhaal was almost Batman… and Spider-Man
Gyllenhaal was previously considered to play Bruce Wayne in director Christopher Nolan’s 2005 movie, Batman Begins, but the role ultimately went to Christian Bale. The actor was also in talks to replace Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker in Spider-Man 2 after director Sam Raimi expressed concerns about the latter’s health. However, Maguire recovered and was able to reprise the role in both Spider-Man 2 and Spider-Man 3.
So far, Spider-Man: Far From Home remains the only superhero movie that Gyllenhaal has starred in, acting opposite Tom Holland’s titular Wall-Crawler as the villainous Mysterio. He was also briefly considered for the role of Mister Fantastic in Marvel Studios’ upcoming Fantastic Four reboot before Pedro Pascal’s casting.
Batman will debut in The Brave and the Bold
The DCU’s Batman is expected to make his first appearance in The Brave and the Bold, which will be directed by Andy Muschietti. The upcoming movie will take inspiration from writer Grant Morrison and artist Andy Kubert’s run on DC Comics’ Batman, particularly their 2006 comic book story arc, “Batman and Son”. The fan-favorite storyline focuses on Bruce Wayne learning that he has fathered a son, Damian, with Talia al Ghul, the daughter of his nemesis, Ra’s al Ghul. No writer is attached to the project at this time.
The Brave and the Bold does not yet have a release date.
