With the most recent draft of the script for Matt Reeves’ The Batman said to have been finished late last year, it finally looks like things are beginning to fall into place for the Caped Crusader’s first standalone outing in the DCEU. And while details on the plot and almost everything else are still being kept under lock and key, we do know who the three main villains will be: the Penguin, Catwoman and the Riddler.
Of course, casting for these roles hasn’t been revealed just yet, but the fans already have their picks and when it comes to Oswald Cobblepot at least, We Got This Covered can confirm that Josh Gad and Nicholas Hoult are being eyed for the role. While the former has been linked to the Penguin for months now, the latter’s an interesting pick, as it’s been said that the X-Men: Dark Phoenix star was actually one of the top choices to play the Dark Knight.
Speaking to a source close to the production, we understand that Hoult is indeed still being considered for Batman if Warner Bros. doesn’t go with Robert Pattinson. But if the Twilight actor signs on for Batsy, then they may offer Hoult the Penguin instead. And as for Gad, he’s been someone they’ve considered for a while now, but at this point, no final decisions have been made.
That being said, it’s important that whoever takes the role portrays Penguin as the ruthless mob boss that he is. Because of Cobblepot’s violent nature, fans may not be into seeing Josh Gad bring him to life given the actor’s more comedic background. But then again, Hoult seems like a bit of an unexpected choice as well, so who knows what’ll happen.
You may remember there were also rumors a while back that the studio might be eyeing Jonah Hill for the part, after Reeves and Harley Quinn actress Margot Robbie each followed him on social media in a short space of time. That may not mean anything, of course, but if one thing’s for certain, it’s that the question of who’s to play Bruce’s next foe in The Batman remains very much up in the air.