‘The Batman’ Found its Batman – and May Now Have Found its Villain
The last few years have been filled with speculation and rumours surrounding Batman and the character’s future on the big screen. Since Ben Affleck starred in Justice League as the caped crusader, there has been no shortage of news. Ben Affleck was originally set to play Batman in the solo films, and he was also onboard to direct. This later changed with Matt Reeves, director of Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and its sequel, taking up the directorial duties of Ben Affleck, who eventually left the project completely.
After all appeared secure and we were beginning to see the creation of a reasonably cohesive DC universe, it had fallen apart quite quickly. However, a few months ago, it was announced that Robert Pattinson, star of Twilight and The Lighthouse, would now take on the role of Batman. This revelation was met with a mixed reception, which is commonplace for such famous characters.
Since Matt Reeves was announced to direct, there has been speculation that the film will be a more detective-focused, crime film. Further rumours suggest that Penguin will be one of the chosen villains from Batman’s huge rogues’ gallery set to appear in the film.
This would be the first time Penguin has appeared in a live-action film since Danny DeVito brought him to life in Batman Returns. The most recent update is in line with this, with Jonah Hill supposedly in talks to play the film’s villain. Whether or not this could be Penguin is anybody’s guess, with other notorious villains such as The Riddler also being heavily rumoured.
Hopefully more news will follow soon about who the villain will be, and if Jonah Hill will finally make his comic-book movie debut.