After nearly endless speculation from fans, the next Batman movie is finally starting to take shape. Robert Pattinson has been cast as the new Dark Knight, and if casting for the lead role has been done, then casting for every other role likely isn't too far behind. A new rumor has surfaced that one actor who is contention for a role in The Batman could be Andy Serkis.
Serkis worked with Matt Reeves, the writer and director of The Batman, on the two Planet of the Apes films that Reeves directed, so it's far from surprising that Reeves might want to bring in those people that he's worked with before and knows he works with well.
The rumor comes from the Batman on Film site, which makes it clear that no decisions have been made and that, while two separate sources have apparently confirmed to them that Serkis is in the mix for a role, nothing has been decided yet. The only other specific detail that is mentioned is that the role Serkis is in consideration for is not a motion capture performance.
The obvious place to look to where Serkis might end up being cast is Batman's Rogues Gallery of villains. Rumors have indicated that several different bad guys known to Batman fans might be part of the new film, which would mean several places for big names to strut their stuff as over the top comic book villains.
The Penguin, The Riddler, Two-Face, and the Mad Hatter have all been rumored to appear in The Batman. Honestly, Andy Serkis could potentially play any of them. Although, it has to be said that Serkis as the Penguin has a certain feel to it that seems right. The biggest hurdle to that idea is that the same report that reveals the Serkis rumor indicates the casting notice for Penguin is looking for somebody 20-40 years old, and Serkis is 55.
Still, that doesn't mean that Andy Serkis couldn't end up as Oswald Cobblepot. He's generally portrayed as older than Batman and they can always make Serkis, or anybody else, look younger with makeup or CGI if it's truly important that Penguin not be older.
There's a good chance that whoever the villains turn out to be, and however many of them there are, they'll all end up being actors that we know. Not every comic book movie role goes to an A-list name, but many of them do, and the bigger names that get cast, the more buzz the movie will produce.
Of course, any Batman movie doesn't really need to do anything more than simply be a Batman movie to generate buzz. He's DC's most popular, and most successful, character when it comes to the big screen.
The Batman is set for release in just under two years, June 25, 2021. Production is likely to begin around the end of this year.
