Josh Gad Clarifies if He’s Playing the Penguin in Robert Pattinson’s Batman Movie

Before we ever know that Robert Pattinson would play the new Batman, another actor was working hard to secure a role in Matt Reeves’ Batman reboot. That was Frozen star John Gad, who has been campaigning to play The Penguin in DC’s The Batman, for more than a year now.

Well, now that The Batman is set for production in early 2020, and the official casting for the film is starting to take place, it seems that Josh Gad no longer has freedom to tease DC fans, because he’s suddenly taking to social media to make it clear (for the first time) that he is *not* The Batman’s Penguin:

“Ok, seeing as I keep getting this question…as much as I have LOVED torturing you all with teasing you about the Penguin, I feel like it’s time to tell you…I’m NOT actually playing this character. But I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the fan art and the love. 😂😘”

Gad posted the following message on Twitter, after one impassioned fan straight-up asked him he would be playing Penguin in The Batman:

While Josh Gad was never officially playing Penguin in the DC Films universe (or even officially considered for the role), it should be acknowledged that his going online to debunk the idea is a somewhat significant turn. As stated above, Gad was not at all shy about teasing DC fans about the possibility of playing the Penguin in the DC Films franchise, back when everything about The Batman was just speculation and rumor. The fact that he’s now taking to social media to kill any rumor about that same possibility, suggests that there are indeed solid details about The Batman falling into place, and that Gad doesn’t want to disturb that process by creating fake news about his casting. One might go so far as to speculate that the actor may even have some inside knowledge about which Batman rouges will be featured in The Batman – and which actor may actually be playing Penguin, if he is indeed part of the story.

Right now, it’s unclear when Warner Bros. and DC Films may actually share additional Batman casting information with fans. Warner Bros. is officially skipping a Hall H presentation at San Diego Comic-Con 2019, and that venue has been where the studio traditionally reveals its next slate of DC Films, including rundowns of the cast and crew. So far, directors like Patty Jenkins (Wonder Woman 1984), James Wan (Aquaman), and Todd Philips (Joker) have been the ones in control of marketing their films over social media – and it looks like that’s going to be the primary trend in DC Films for foreseeable future. Best keep an eye on Matt Reeves Twitter account, if you want to know who might truly be the next movie version of Penguin.

…Of course, based on a recent quote from Reeves himself, Josh Gad playing Penguin isn’t totally out of the realm of possibility: “I love Josh Gad,’ Reeves says, noting that his son is in class with the actor’s daughter. “We’re good friends.’”

Joker hits theaters on October 4th, Birds of Prey on February 7, 2020, Wonder Woman 1984 on June 5, 2020, and The Batman on June 25, 2021.