After a seemingly swift casting process leading up to the production of the highly-anticipated project, it appears Matt Reeves’ The Batman has taken a minor step back as Deadline reports that Jonah Hill is no longer in talks for a villain role in the film.
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According to sources, Hill and Warner Bros. were very much looking forward to working on the project, with the 35-year-old actor starring as The Riddler and even possibly bringing his frequent collaborator and friend Seth Rogen (Long Shot) on for the film as The Penguin, but it appears talks broke down between Hill and the studio and now neither will appear in the film, with the studio now looking towards other candidates.
Other cast members for the film include Jeffrey Wright (Westworld) who is in talks for the role of Commissioner Gordon and Zoe Kravitz (Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald) has signed on to play Catwoman. Robert Pattinson will star as the titular hero.
The Batman has been in development at Warner Bros. since 2015 when Ben Affleck signed on to the DCEU. Matt Reeves (War for the Planet of the Apes) signed on to helm about a month after Affleck’s directorial departure with the added caveat that he’d get to rewrite the script from scratch.
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Reeves’ story has been described as a character-driven project focusing on Batman’s experiences as the world’s greatest detective. The filmmaker has also said to expect a “Rogue’s Gallery” of villains in the movie. Oscar-nominated cinematographer Greig Fraser will serve as director of photography for the project.
The Batman is scheduled to be released on June 25, 2021.
(Photo Credit: Backgrid Images)
