The DC Extended Universe slate beyond Wonder Woman 1984 hasn't been officially unveiled yet, but one of the projects that looks to be getting more attention is The Batman. There's been no shortage of rumors and reports over the years about what to expect from the Caped Crusader's next standalone feature, and one of the most discussed topics is who Gotham City's protector will fight. Now it's looking increasingly like The Penguin will be one of those foes.
While addressing some of the rumors concerning The Batman that have been floating around recently, Forbes writer Mark Hughes mentioned that Oswald Cobblepot, a.k.a. The Penguin, will be one of several villains appearing in the movie. However, it wasn't clarified if he will be the main antagonist or a bad guy simply causing trouble for Batman on the side. Of course, Penguin has already been portrayed twice in live action on the big screen: Burgess Meredith reprised the role for 1966's Batman and Danny DeVito inherited the role for 1992's Batman Returns. Robin Lord Taylor has also been playing Penguin on the TV series Gotham since 2014.
This isn't the first time we've heard that The Batman might be using The Penguin. Last summer, it was reported that both The Batman and Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) were considering using the umbrella enthusiast. Given that Birds of Prey now has its Batman villain bases covered with Black Mask and Victor Zsasz, it makes sense that The Batman would take snag Penguin for its own purposes. If he doesn't end up being the main villain, The Batman could be a good way to feature a Penguin who runs the Iceberg Lounge and has his hands in numerous criminal enterprises, but now prefers to stay out of the spotlight.
Then there's the Josh Gad of it all. For nearly two full years, the Frozen actor has expressed interest in playing The Penguin and continues to troll fans online about it. It remains to be seen whether or not he's an actual contender for the role, although if The Batman is getting ready to roll cameras, then Gad should get an answer sooner rather than later. I, Tonya actor Paul Walter Hauser also threw his hat into the Penguin ring last September.
So far, all we know for sure about The Batman is that it's being written and directed by Matt Reeves, who aims to tell a noir-style story showcasing the Dark Knight's detective skills. Back when Ben Affleck was still working on The Batman script, the plan was to have Slade Wilson, a.k.a. Deathstroke, be the main villain, and we met the one-eyed assassin at the end of Justice League, played by Joe Manganiello. However, since Reeves' boarded the project, Deathstroke's role has been left uncertain. As for Affleck, it still has yet to be officially confirmed if he will star in The Batman or if it's true that a younger actor will don the cape and cowl.
Keep checking back with CinemaBlend for all major updates concerning The Batman, and be sure to look through our DC movies guide to learn what else the DCEU has coming down the pipeline.
