There was some big news about Matt Reeves' upcoming The Batman on Monday with the announcement that Westworld star Jeffrey Wright is in negotiations to play Commissioner Jim Gordon in the film. The news about Wright came as a big surprise for DC fans, though not an unwelcome one. Soon after the announcement fans began to flood social media with excitement at the news with many fully on board with what Wright will bring to the role.
The role of Commissioner Gordon was most recently played by J.K. Simmons in Zack Snyder's Justice League and Gary Oldman across Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy. Wright taking on the character marks a bit of a departure from both of those castings in that it will see the character portrayed as a person of color on the big screen for the first time, something that many on social media were excited for, especially for how it opens the doors for further representation within the Bat family -- particularly with a non-white Batgirl.
Other fans noted Wright's acting talent as being a major reason for excitement. Wright won both an Emmy and a Tony for his portrayal of Norman "Belize" Arriaga in HBO's Angels in America and the Tony Kushner play of the same name respectively. Wright's other credits include Syriana, Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace, and The Hunger Games: Catching Fire in terms of film and Boardwalk Empire and the previously mentioned Westworld on television. He also has a few other projects making their way to screen soon with Netflix's The Laundromat hitting theaters on September 27, The Goldfinch currently in theaters, and the upcoming James Bond film No Time to Die expected in theaters April 8, 2020.
Want to see how fans are reacting to news of Wright as Commissioner Gordon? Read on and be sure to let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
What does this mean for Barbara Gordon?