In The Long Halloween and Dark Victory, Edward Nygma is portrayed as a neurotic coward, hardly a physical threat to Batman. It’s entirely plausible that Penguin is central to life of both Bruce Wayne and Batman.Īs for the Riddler, Loeb’s characterization differs from how the villain is commonly portrayed, but the payoff is grand. If Reeves is looking for a Penguin closer in age to Wayne, then it may suggest closer ties between the two and a portrayal not far removed from the version seen in Telltale’s Batman game. Recent portrayals of the Penguin have also focused on his relationship to Bruce Wayne and the parallels between them as sons of two of Gotham’s oldest families. And once again, going back to Reeves’ thematic consideration of contemporary peace established by warring parties, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Batman and the Penguin as reluctant allies. Penguin’s role as a crime boss who hides his illegal activities through his club and keeps Gotham’s criminals in line has resulted in a temporary peace between him and Batman. A crime boss with his own taste for the theatrics, operating out of his club The Iceberg Lounge, seems to be the most likely bet. While there’s no telling how grounded Reeves will be in his approach, I expect his take on the Penguin to be entirely unlike Danny DeVito’s incredible and monstrous interpretation in Tim Burton’s Batman Returns (1992). Penguin, aka Oswald Cobblepot, is often utilized as the bridge between the old crime families of Gotham and the “freaks” who began to emerge more frequently with Batman sightings. With Hill up for either the role of Penguin or Riddler, those stories may provide some clues to what we can expect from those characters. The noir-emphasis and existence of multiple potential suspects in the form of Batman’s rogues immediately calls to mind the Batman works of Jeph Loeb, whose arcs The Long Halloween (1996), Dark Victory (1999), and Hush (2002) are defining gateway Batman stories. Reeves has also shared his interest in creating a mystery, a story that puts Batman’s detective skills to work in ways that have never been seen on film before. Reeves’ has confirmed that The Batman will feature a rogues’ gallery of villains, and while there’s yet to be confirmation on how many, Penguin, Riddler and Catwoman are all expected to play a part. The third pillar, crumbling, crooked and threatening to bring the whole city down, is the criminal element. Gordon and Batman are two pillars of Gotham, the foundation through which heroism is built. Where Nolan tackled this by showcasing how Gordon and Batman were able to rise together, Reeves has an opportunity to shift the perspective of that narrative with a more beleaguered Gordon who believes he has seen the worst of what Gotham has to offer, and a Batman who still believes he can change the city from within. One of the core aspects of Batman is that he never works alone, and since the beginning of his crusade he has always been reliant on the cooperation and participation of others. We saw this in Let Me In (2010) and more recently in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014) and War for the Planet of the Apes (2017). Throughout Reeves’ filmography, he has displayed an interest in partnerships and friendships, mutually beneficial relationships through which peace, sometimes temporary, is built. But it wouldn’t be surprising to see Wright’s Gordon already begin the film as police commissioner, leaving the detective angle up to Batman himself. Nolan’s Dark Knight films chronicled Gordon’s rise from police sergeant to commissioner, and in the comics his career in Gotham began as a detective. He’s no stranger to playing men who seem to have the weight of the world on their shoulders, and he has eyes that convey a constant sense of “having seem some shit.” Given Pattinson’s casting as Batman, we expect that Wayne is early in his career, but more seasoned than a Year One (1987) or Batman Begins (2005) take. Wright, a wonderful chameleon, will undoubtedly bring his own voice and weight to the role. Oldman’s portrayal was just about as comic accurate as casting could get, and his relationship with Batman defined a significant amount of the emotional crux of those films. Simmons in Justice League, though the most well-known live-action portrayal of the character was Gary Oldman’s in Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy. The character was most recently portrayed by J.K. James Gordon is, of course, a mainstay in the Batman mythos, and his role in Reeves’ upcoming film doesn’t come as a surprise.
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