It sounds like Warner Bros. has just activated the “Jonah Hill And Jeffrey Wright Signal” that sits atop the Gotham City Police Department, because both of them are now in talks to take on major roles in director Matt Reeves’ The Batman. This is the one starring Robert Pattinson as the Dark Knight, and though specific details have been slim, we’ve been hearing for years that this movie would involve Batman facing off against the Penguin—initially with Josh Gad as the feathered fiend, before Ben Affleck escaped. Deadline says Hill would play “a villain” if he does take the role, so it’s possible that he could be Gotham’s latest Oswald Cobblepot.
As for Wright, we actually do know who Westworld’s favorite secret robot is playing, with a separate Deadline story revealing that he’s in talks to play Jim Gordon (Deadline actually says “James,” but like Batman, we’ve known the guy for long enough that we don’t need to be so formal). No word on if Wright intends to get shredded like J.K. Simmons did when he played Gordon in Justice League, but we’ll let him focus on growing the mustache first. (Also, sticklers may note that Simmons didn’t actually get ripped for Justice League, it just happened around the same time, but it was a funny story so we’re going with it.)
For anyone who has somehow managed to live on this planet long enough to learn how to read this post but hasn’t picked up any information about Batman: The Penguin is a legitimate businessman in Gotham City who is often depicted as the owner of the Iceberg Lounge nightclub. He’s called The Penguin because people in Gotham are mean, and also he tends to wear a tuxedo. Jim Gordon, meanwhile, is a rogue cop who often breaks rules to protect his friend “the Bat-Man”—who, it’s worth saying, is a criminal vigilante.