After months of speculation, anticipation, and plenty of rumors, it seems that Robert Pattinson has been confirmed to play the starring role in Matt Reeves’ The Batman. Needless to say, the official announcement has been met with middling reception – longtime DC devotees took to Twitter to share their reactions, which seem to be an equal mix of disappointment, skepticism, and tentative faith.
Since that particular casting decision is set in stone though, the internet has now begun to do what it does best and wildly speculate about who will play the supporting characters. A few Hollywood A-listers have already expressed interest in joining the project – with Marvel’s Sebastian Stan looking to play The Riddler – and a new suggestion from a comic book veteran has begun to make some waves.
As MovieWeb reports, British writer and artist Bryan Hitch took to Twitter to ask his followers who should take on the role of Alfred Pennyworth, the loyal butler and right-hand man of Batman. Before long, Gerry Conway, who’s best known for co-creating The Punisher, Firestorm, Power Girl, Vixen and Ms. Marvel, responded with his own great idea.
Instead of pitching a new male actor (or suggesting that Jeremy Irons reprise his role), Conway proposed bringing Dame Maggie Smith into the mix. For those who aren’t familiar with who that is, there’s a good chance you’ve seen the veteran actress on the big screen at some point. She played Professor McGonagall in the Harry Potter films and on TV, she’s best known for her role on Downton Abbey as the Dowager Countess of Grantham.
Hear me out.
Maggie Smith. https://t.co/8ToF8FxCVP
— Gerry Conway Stands With Ukraine (@gerryconway) June 7, 2019
I can’t speak on behalf of the rest of the staff of We Got This Covered, but personally, I’d love to see it come to fruition. In the past, Alfred has stood in as an emotional surrogate for Bruce’s father, Thomas, and it would be interesting to shift that focus to Martha. As for what the new name should be, we could always make it simple and call her Pennyworth.
To be fair, all of this is probably a pipe-dream, but either way, we’ll definitely keep you updated on additional casting information for The Batman as official announcements are made.
