You wait weeks – nay, months – for something (anything!) relating to The Batman and all of a sudden, two megatons drop within the space of an hour.
First came the news that Jeffrey Wright, star of Westworld and next year’s Bond flick No Time to Die, had opened talks with Warner Bros. to take on the role of Commissioner Jim Gordon, before Deadline revealed another casting scoop: Jonah Hill was being eyed to play one of many villains in the 2021 blockbuster (which is something We Got This Covered first reported on months ago). Holy casting news, Batman!
Not even 24 hours have passed, and there has already been a new development: Hill was reportedly offered a role opposite Robert Pattinson’s Bats four weeks ago, at which point he demanded twice as much money as the Bruce Wayne to be. This tidbit comes to us by way of Variety’s Justin Kroll (see below), and ought to be filed under ‘rumor’ for now.
The story goes that Jonah Hill purportedly demanded $10 million for his mystery role in The Batman – a payday so big it outweighs even Robert Pattinson’s… you know, the actor cast as Bruce frickin’ Wayne. Whether Jonah Hill is a big enough box office draw to justify $10 million remains to be seen, but if this is true, then Matt Reeves and the WB casting department clearly have a few kinks to iron out before The Batman can begin production in earnest.
Via Twitter:
So on the Jonah front, hes had the offer for over a month and besides money being a bargaining point (at one point heard he wanted 10 which is wild since Rob isn’t making half that) but also which character he would play, whether its the Riddler or Penguin.
The Batman is due in theaters on June 25th, 2021 – with or without Jonah Hill – and will signal a new dawn for DC’s Dark Knight. Should everything go according to plan, Reeves and his team will have the freedom to create an entire trilogy with Robert Pattinson at the helm, who is expected to confront a “rogues gallery” of famous goons in the fight for Gotham’s soul.
