WB Eyeing Jack Black/Jason Segel Types For The Penguin In The Batman

With the most recent draft for Matt Reeves’ The Batman said to have been finished late last year, it sure seems like things are finally starting to fall into place for the Caped Crusader’s first standalone film in the DCEU. And while details on the plot and almost everything else still haven’t been divulged, we do know of at least one major villain that the project will be introducing into the franchise.

Sources close to We Got This Covered revealed last week that Oswald Cobblepot, aka the Penguin, will be one of the main antagonists in the Dark Knight’s next feature. The character’s involvement was a popular rumor that persisted throughout most of last year and even drew the attention of celebrities like Josh Gad, who more or less launched his own social media campaign in a bid to land the part. And though we can’t say for sure just yet who’ll be slipping into the role, some new intel has emerged today which at least gives us an idea.

According to industry tipster Daniel RPK, Warner Bros. is apparently eyeing Jack Black and/or Jason Segel types for the part. The info was revealed on Daniel’s Patreon and though he didn’t say which actors are in consideration, we should note that this doesn’t mean that the studio’s necessarily looking at those two aforementioned individuals. Just that they want someone in that vein to play the Penguin.

And speaking of casting, it’s also said that we’ll likely hear about the new Batman actor as soon as May or June. Though we heard recently that the previously rumored Jack O’Connell of Starred Up and Unbroken fame is still in the running, what we can tell you for certain is that Warner Bros. is looking for someone around 25 to 30 years of age.

That’s because The Batman will aim to take us back into the character’s past, setting its story many many years before the events of Ben Affleck’s two-movie run in the franchise. With this in mind, you can at least start to form an idea of what shape the film may take, and with recent reports claiming it could release as early as the spring of 2021, it shouldn’t be long now before we learn more.