Credit: Harald Krichel

Jonah Hill in talks to play villain in new Batman film

Tue 24 September 2019 10:52, UK

Jonah Hill is in talks for the surprise role of Batman villain ‘The Ridler’ in the upcoming new film.

Director Matt Reeves has been handed licence to shake things up with his film The Batman, Warner Bros. seemingly allowing the director to fulfil his vision after Robert Pattinson was unveiled as the new lead as the Caped Crusader.

Now, two-time Oscar nominee Hill has been tapped to explore his darker side in the DC Universe. While the specifics of Hill’s role remain blurry, Deadline claim that the actor has been tapped to play ‘The Ridler’, but THR claim there is still a possibility that the role could be ‘The Penguin.

Elsewhere, it was reported that Jeffrey Wright has been in talks with the production team about taking the role of Commissioner James Gordon.

When previously detailing his plans for the new project, director Matt Reeves aligned his direction while emphasising the importance of the ‘detective’ angle of what is being described as a ‘noir’ Batman film: “The comics have a history of that. He’s supposed to be the world’s greatest detective, and that’s not necessarily been a part of what the movies have been,” he said in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter.

He added: “I’d love this to be one where when we go on that journey of tracking down the criminals and trying to solve a crime, it’s going to allow his character to have an arc so that he can go through a transformation.”

The Batman has been set a June 25th, 2021 release date by Warner Bros.

[MORE] – Jonah Hill’s directorial debut with coming-of-age skate culture film ‘Mid 90s’