Like much of the DC movie universe, the future of Batman on the big screen remains uncertain. War for the Planet of the Apes director Matt Reeves is attached to a new Batman movie, currently known as The Batman, but with no confirmed release date or lead actor to potentially replace Ben Affleck, it isn’t clear when we might see it. However, some news has now emerged about the movie’s potential villain.
This comes via Variety writer Justin Kroll, who stated on Twitter that the Penguin was being lined up to appear in Reeves’ film. Kroll also revealed that Reeves is still working on the script and even if the Penguin doesn’t ultimately appear, the character could instead be used in the Birds of Prey film which is also in development. Check the tweets out below:
Take this with a grain of salt as things are constantly changing in the DCEU but I’m hearing the Penguin is possibly the choice to play the main villain in THE BATMAN. Sources add even if Reeves decide to go another route the studio could then make him the main villain in BOP
— Justin Kroll (@krolljvar) May 30, 2018
Reeves is still working on the script, so that could always change but of the multiple BIRDS OF PREY scripts submitted, one does have the Penguin as the main heavy. Either way, it seems WB wants this character cast in the universe sooner rather then later.
— Justin Kroll (@krolljvar) May 30, 2018
As Kroll notes, the DC universe is in a state of flux, so things could easily change. The studio only has three movies officially scheduled for release–Aquaman, which releases in November, and Shazam and Wonder Woman 2, both of which are due next year. Beyond that, there are multiple projects in development, including Birds of Prey, a Joker origins movie, and Suicide Squad 2.
Reeves was hired to work on The Batman in February last year. At that stage he was replacing Ben Affleck as writer and director, with Affleck choosing only to star in the movie. Since then there have been multiple rumors that Affleck will step down as Batman following the failure of Justice League at the box office. However, the role has not yet been officially recast.
Last year, Reeves hinted at the direction he was looking to take his vision of Batman in. “I want to do a very point-of-view-driven [film],” he said. “In all the films what I try to do, in almost a Hitchcockian sense, is use the camera and use the storytelling so that you become the character and you empathise with that point of view. And I think there is a chance to do an almost noir-driven detective version of Batman that is point of view driven in a very, very powerful way. And hopefully it is going to connect you to what’s going on inside of his head and inside of his heart.”