For all those excited by the idea of Jonah Hill playing The Riddler, prepare to be disappointed. Per Collider, talks between Hill and Warner Bros. have broken down and, as of now, he won’t be appearing in Matt Reeves‘ The Batman.
It’s unclear what the crux of the issue is. Hill was engaged in negotiations for several months and it seemed all but confirmed that he’d play the antagonist to Robert Pattinson‘s caped crusader. But initial reports claimed that Hill had asked for $10 million — more than twice what the studio is reportedly paying Pattinson – so it’s possible the decision came down to money.
However, considering Hill is the same man who agreed to be paid just $60,000 to work with Martin Scorsese on The Wolf Of Wall Street – the minimum wage in Hollywood for a role that size – it seems unlikely that this decision is solely down to money.
Other reports suggest that while Reeves wanted Hill to play The Riddler, the actor was actually more interested in playing The Penguin, who Reeves had reportedly approached another actor about. However, other reports contradict that and say it’s actually backwards: Reeves wanted Hill to play The Penguin, while the two-time Oscar nominee wanted the bigger Riddler role.
So who knows what happens now. It’s possible Hill is back on the project as soon as next week and this is all just a negotiating tactic. Or maybe all those talks were for nothing and another actor will slip in to play the villain. We’ve just had Zoe Kravitz confirmed as Catwoman within the last few days, so clearly some negotiations are going a lot smoother than others.
Warner Bros. is keeping things close to the vest, so we still know very little about the film. Once the cast is fully formed, expect a press release revealing a little more about the movie. Production is slated to begin early next year, and The Batman hits cinemas June 25, 2021. Expect it to make a lot of money, no matter who’s in it.
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