Earlier this month, Warner Bros. announced that it had cast Holly Hunter, Callan Mulvey and Tao Okamoto in superhero blockbuster Batman vs. Superman (still the working title). And though the roles that Mulvey and Okamoto will be playing in the highly anticipated film are still unknown, Latino Review believes that it has figured out which character Hunter will be tackling.
Of course, as with any news coming out of Latino Review, this rumor should be taken with more than just a grain of salt, but the site’s writer Da7e claims that Hunter has been cast as Leslie Thompkins, or a character by a different name who will serve a similar purpose.
In the comics, Thompkins was a doctor who attended medical school with Thomas Wayne, Bruce’s father. When Thomas and his wife were killed by a mugger in Gotham City’s Crime Alley, she comforted Bruce. In Batman: The Animated Series, she knew of Bruce’s secret life as Batman and gave him medical attention whenever he required it.
Again, Latino Review’s report is just a rumor, and until WB or someone involved with the film confirms Hunter’s role, I’ll remain skeptical. Still, it’s exciting to know that the Oscar winner (for The Piano) will be involved in the film, which stars Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne/Batman and Henry Cavill as Clark Kent/Superman. Jeremy Irons is also locked in to play Bruce’s trusty butler Alfred Pennysworth, Gal Gadot will play a version of superhero Wonder Woman, and Jesse Eisenberg will play Superman’s archnemesis Lex Luthor. Amy Adams and Laurence Fishburne will return as Lois Lane and Perry White, respectively, and Diane Lane is set to reprise her role as Martha Kent.
Personally, I was really unhappy with Man of Steel, so I’m not at all excited for Batman vs. Superman. Whereas Marvel took years to lay out its cinematic universe, WB appears to be blundering in, desperate to get to a Justice League movie before actually setting up the characters who’ll star in it. If you disagree, think about how little the character of Superman actually mattered in Man of Steel – I can’t remember anything other than the massive, disorienting fight sequences. Hopefully Hunter will be able to actually get enough screen time to justify her presence, but given Goyer’s writing style, with low emphasis on character development, I doubt that will happen.
Batman vs. Superman arrives on May 6th, 2016.