Batman fans recently celebrated a day that is dedicated to the Dark Knight, and it seems very fitting that we are hearing a lot of casting news regarding the hero’s upcoming standalone film.

Matt Reeves writes and directs the tentatively titled The Batman, with Robert Pattinson set to play the title role. Shortly before this, it was reported that Jeffrey Wright was in talks to play Commissioner Gordon. And now, the film may have found one of its villains. The question is, which one?

According to reports, Jonah Hill is in talks to either play the Penguin or the Riddler. More on the report below.

Sources tell THR that Hill is at “an early and sensitive stage” of negotiations, and that ultimately a deal might not be reached because they haven’t been able to come to an agreement on which of the two villains the actor should play. This coincides with Variety’s earlier report that Hill joining the cast was not yet official and a deal might not happen. However, there is some slight optimism as both sides are working to get a deal done.

According to THR the film will have many villains, so it’s not surprising to hear that they’re trying to figure out which of those villains the actors they cast will play. We’ve heard rumors about the film involving Arkham Asylum in the past, which is one way it would make sense to have many villains, though that was part of Ben Affleck’s screenplay when he was still attached to the project. But who knows, maybe the infamous home to Gotham’s criminally insane will still be part of Reeves’ film. Just don’t expect to see anything too hokey as the director intends to take a very grounded approach to Batman, one that will explore his detective side.

It’s unclear which villain Hill is leaning towards. One popular theory is that he would be playing Oswald Cobblepot aka the Penguin, a villain who is known for his weaponized umbrellas. Of course, since The Batman is going to be a bit more realistic, you can take those gimmicky umbrellas out of the picture. However, the Batman: Arkham video game series did have a nice grounded take on the character, which pictured him as more of a mob boss.

Hill made a name for himself in a lot of comedic roles in films like Superbad and the Jump Street films, but he has transitioned to some meatier drama roles in films like The Wolf of Wall Street and War Dogs. He recently made the jump to directing having made his debut with Mid90s.

Also, this wouldn’t be his first role in a superhero-related film. The actor provided the voice of the Green Lantern in both The LEGO Movie and its sequel, as well as The LEGO Batman Movie. Hopefully both parties can settle on a role so that Hill can appear as a villain in a live-action superhero movie, though.

The Batman hits theaters on June 25, 2021.

[Source: THR | Variety]