Adam West. Michael Keaton. Christian Bale. Ben Affleck. These are all actors who have famously played the Caped Crusader himself, Batman. (I left out Clooney on purpose, *but* I think his cameo in The Flash movie was perfection.) Batman is such a well worn-in property at this point that the chance to play him comes along like six times per generation. Jake Gyllenhaal has long-wanted to play the Dark Knight. And since James Gunn is (infamously) rebooting the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) since taking over in November 2022, he’s looking for a new Batman. In an interview with Screen Rant, Jake commented on fan rumblings about him playing Bruce Wayne’s alter ego, calling it an “honor.”
Screen Rant: Jake, watching you in these action scenes was absolutely incredible. Like I said, it was deliciously visceral. But a while back, I know that you auditioned for the role of Batman, and I got some Batman vibes in this film when you were beating the crap out of people. Is that a role you’d still be interested in, especially after doing a movie like this?
Jake Gyllenhaal: Oh, man. That’s a classic. It’s an honor. Speaking of playing roles that other incredible actors have played in the past, to me actually roles that other incredible actors have played in the past, which, to me, actually, when I think about it, I’m going to play Iago in Othello with Denzel Washington, and I think about like the history of actors that have played that role throughout time, and I’m intimidated by that. So that’s the first level. That’s what I’m working on right now. But of course. It would be an honor always. Those types of things and those roles are classics.
Alright, I know there’s a good amount of y’all on here who are into this stuff like I am. What are your thoughts at a potential Gyllenhaal Batman? I’m a very hard no on this one. He was fine as Mysterio in Spider-Man: Far From Home but…Batman? Bruce Wayne needs to be played by a certain type of actor and that is not Jake. “But Rosie,” you may say, “What about Robert Pattinson?” I did like the RPattz Batman movie a lot more than I expected to. I think it was because The Batman was an artsy, noir, whodunit version of the character set in an entirely different universe.
At the end of the day, let’s just stick with Maggie as the Gyllenhaal sibling who’s involved in a Batman movie. I suppose, however, if Jake wanted to, there’s always a villain or someone else he could play. There’s also that small matter of Jake’s personal hygiene. Will he commit to daily showers if he plays Batman? It gets hot in that suit, even without all of the ass-kicking. You know Bruce Wayne probably takes two to three showers a day. Anyway, if Aaron Taylor Johson really is going to be the next James Bond, then I put Idris Elba up for consideration for the role. Idris would make a fine Batman.
photos credit: IMAGO/RW/MediaPunch/Avalon, Robin Platzer/Twin Images/Avalon, JW/Bang Showbiz/Avalon