Matt Reeves’ The Batman should be great. The director has proven himself many times over as a talented action filmmaker, I can’t wait to see what Robert Pattinson does in the cape and cowl, and the supporting cast includes John Turturro, Paul Dano and Jeffrey Wright. But one thing that’s given many people doubts is the amount of villains they’re cramming into the movie.
Right now, we have official confirmation that the Riddler, Catwoman and Penguin will be in the film, with Mad Hatter, Clayface, Two-Face and Firefly also reported as being under consideration. Fortunately, though, it seems that Warner Bros. might have come to their senses and realized that too many (evil) cooks spoil the (evil) broth, as they’re now down to only five villains. That’s according to sources close to WGTC, the same ones who told us Mahershala Ali and Jonah Hill were both attached to roles in the movie before dropping out, which we now know to be true.
According to our sources – who also gave us the scoop on a Green Lantern show coming to HBO Max – those five will be Riddler, Catwoman, Penguin, Clayface and Mad Hatter. Harvey Dent, meanwhile, may still show up but he won’t become Two-Face until a later installment. Also, I guess Catwoman is more of an antihero rather than an outright villain.
Still, I’ve always preferred Batman stories that focus on one villain rather than team-ups. My ideal situation would be for The Batman to be a Riddler-focused movie with Catwoman having to work with the Dark Knight. Penguin could perhaps appear as a nightclub owner and the rest can be relegated to short pre-credits or cameo roles.
While multi-villain stories like The Long Halloween can work, there’s so much potential in his rogues gallery that each one really deserves a moment in the spotlight. Let’s just hope The Batman doesn’t feel over-stuffed with characters.
