Rumors Are Swirling That Jake Gyllenhaal Could Be the Next A-Lister to Pick Up the Batman Cowl
When it comes to superhero movies, Marvel has DC beat. Where Marvel’s seen successes with Guardians of the Galaxy, Thor: Ragnarok and the upcoming Black Panther, DC’s only critical success has been Wonder Woman. Other films, like Justice League, Batman v. Superman and Suicide Squad have at worst been punchlines, at best yawnfests. So it’s not surprising DC would like to change its fortunes — and a rumor is swirling the company might try a new actor for one of its biggest heroes. That’s right, we could soon see a Jake Gyllenhaal Batman movie.
According to the Batman fan site Batman on Film, the upcoming film, to be directed by Matt Reeves, may not share the same universe as the other films, and thus might use a different actor for Batman. (Mainly, Jake Gyllenhaal.) Though Reeves has said his film, The Batman, will take place after Justice League and won’t be a reboot, the director is still looking to put his own stamp on the franchise.
However, according to Revenge of the Fans, Warner Brothers says The Batman will indeed be part of the shared DC Cinematic Universe, but “just its own story.” In tweets from last summer, Reeves himself appeared to agree, saying “In my comments from a while back about not being part of the DCEU, I was talking about The Batman being a story specifically about Batman, not about the others in the Universe. That it wouldn’t be filled with cameos servicing other stories — that it would be a BATMAN story.”
Revenge of the Fans cites its unnamed source as confirming Gyllenhaal will be the most likely Affleck replacement, saying “Gyllenhaal is probably Batman. Affleck is not out of it yet. That’s the thing, he still has a contract. But the studio is sour on him. If Ben rolls, Jake is in. Kind of a weird web. These guys both know they control each other’s destiny.”
While nothing is confirmed yet, it’s rumored that Ben Affleck’s last hurrah as Bats will either be in the confirmed film Suicide Squad 2, or the announced-but-not-yet-confirmed Flashpoint.
