Jeffrey Wright Circling Role of Commissioner Gordon in The Batman
Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker may never meet Robert Pattinson’s Batman, but there will be plenty of great actors flocking to Matt Reeves upcoming reboot about the Caped Crusader. The Hollywood Reporter has the scoop that the great Jeffrey Wright, currently starring in HBO’s Westworld, is in negotiations to play Commissioner Gordon in The Batman.
Commissioner Gordon—or, depending upon where he is in his career, possibly detective Gordon—is a crucial Batman ally in the comics, cartoons and big-screen adaptations. In Christopher Nolan’s trilogy, he was played by Gary Oldman, and he was often the only person not named Alfred who Batman could count on no matter what. J.K. Simmons took on the role in Zack Snyder’s Justice League. Gordon is often the man on the other end of the Bat-Signal and is Batman’s man on the inside of the Gotham City Police force, often acting his go-between, his defender, and, in Nolan’s trilogy, something of a Batman-whisperer. He has earned Batman’s trust, and is often depicted as one of Gotham’s most honorable and selfless inhabitants. He’s also often the target of Batman’s many nemeses considering his importance to both Gotham and the Caped Crusader.
With all that said, you really couldn’t do better than Wright for the role. He has the necessary gravitas to play alongside a superhero or super-spy—he’s been excellent as Felix Leiter, the CIA operative in the recent Bond films. He’ll be returning to that role in the upcoming No Time to Die. He’s also a hugely versatile actor, whether he’s playing a (super belated spoiler alert for Westworld) a robot or a sensitive antique dealer (in The Goldfinch, playing now). He can be seen next in Steven Soderbergh’s The Laundromat, which explores the story of the infamous Panama Papers (out this Friday, September 27).
The little we know about Reeves’ The Batman is that it’ll be closer to a noir detective story than any big-screen look at Gotham’s Dark Knight we’ve seen before. This more grounded version of the character and the world would suit Wright fine, whether he’s playing Commissioner Gordon or Detective Gordon.
Featured image: Westworld. Episode 11 (season 2, episode 1), debut 4/22/18: Jeffrey Wright. Photo: HBO
