Less than an hour after the news broke last month that Jeffrey Wright was being eyed to play Commissioner James Gordon in The Batman, it was reported that Jonah Hill was also in talks to join the Caped Crusader’s next movie, only he’d be contributing in a villainous capacity if a deal was signed. Sadly for those of you who were excited at the prospect of seeing Hill in a theatrical Batman tale, word’s come in that he passed on the project.
This update comes from Deadline, which reported that Jonah Hill is no longer in talks to play one of The Batman’s main antagonists. Apparently talks between Hill and Warner Bros broke down, and now the studio is looking at new candidates to fill that empty slot.
It’s a good bet that the main reasons negotiations fell through is the same reason so many do: money. It was reported that Jonah Hill was looking to make $10 million for appearing in The Batman, $5 million more than Robert Pattinson, the man bringing Bruce Wayne to life, would be paid. It wouldn’t have been the first time an actor playing a villain in a Batman movie would earn more than the actual Batman actor, as that’s what happened with Jack Nicholson on 1989’s Batman, but in this instance, it’s a moot point since Hill has departed.
During his short time associated with The Batman, Jonah Hill was being lined up to play either The Penguin or The Riddler, with the latter villain seemingly having the edge. Deadline also noted in its report that there was interest at one point for Seth Rogen to play Penguin, though no offers or talks have occurred with him.
Writer and director Matt Reeves revealed last January that The Batman would include a “rogue gallery,” i.e. many of Batman’s colorful adversaries. Along with Penguin and Riddler, this lineup will reportedly include Catwoman (who Zoë Kravit will play), Two-Face, Firefly and Mad Hatter.
Matt Reeves is joined behind the camera by cinematographer Greig Frasier and Oscar-winning VFX supervisor Dan Lemmon. Reeves also worked on the script with Mattson Tomlin, who penned the upcoming Little Fish, which stars Olivia Cooke and Jack O’Connell.
No specific story details for The Batman have been revealed to the public yet other than it will have a noir tone and highlight the eponymous protagonist’s detective skills, which hasn’t been done that often in previous movies. Unofficially, it’s rumored that The Batman will be an adaptation of The Long Halloween storyline, which saw Bruce Wayne trying to apprehend a new serial killer in Gotham City over the course of a year and running into many of his well-known villains along the way.
As for Jonah Hill, perhaps another opportunity will come for him to appear in a DC or Marvel movie down the line. Although that being said, he already has some superhero movie experience under his belt as the voice of Green Lantern in the LEGO Movie franchise.
The Batman will cast its shadow in theaters on June 25, 2021, so stay tuned to CinemaBlend for more updates on its development. Don’t forget to also scan through our DC movies guide to learn what else this superhero franchise has on the way.
