Batman Director Confirms Andy Serkis as Alfred

It took a while but it seems Matt Reeves‘ Batman project is finally coming into view, and fans have had quite the reaction to the flood of recent casting rumors, especially regarding Alfred Pennyworth. A recent report said that Andy Serkis had been cast in the role of Batman’s most trusted ally, and now Reeves has taken to social media to confirm it. Reeves posted a GIF of Serkis running down the red carpet and high fiving people as he ran down, and it was accompanied by the caption “And here comes #Alfred ! 🦇”, confirming that Serkis will be bringing the iconic character to life in the film.

We don’t know much else about what Reeves has in store for Alfred, though it would seem that his approach to the character is going to be a bit different from previous versions. In regards to the films, most previous versions tend to highlight Alfred’s compassion for Bruce and put the butler in a more parental and guidance role.

This is true for the Christopher Nolan trilogy (with Michael Caine in the role) and the first four Batman films, which starred Michael Gough as Alfred. The main deviation from this was Jeremy Irons, who played a mentor role in Bruce’s life as well but also got his hands dirty quite a bit helping Bruce’s mission as Batman.

Serkis stands apart from all those interpretations though, at least at first glance, as the type of actor he is could mean a real departure from what we’re used to seeing from the trusted butler. He could end up being more hands-on and direct than Irons, though you could also see him having the charm and stature of Caine if that’s what Reeves is going for.

It’s truly an interesting and inspired casting, and we can’t wait to see what Reeves and Serkis have in store for DC fans.

Other notable castings include Robert Pattinson as Batman/Bruce Wayne, Zoe Kravitz as Selina Kyle/Catwoman, Paul Dano as Edward Nashton/The Riddler, Colin Farrell as Oswald Cobblepot/The Penguin, and Jeffrey Wright as Commissioner Gordon. Some of those haven’t been confirmed yet by Reeves, but the cast is already looking stacked, and hopefully, we’ll get the full cast list soon.

Are you excited for Serkis as Alfred? Let us know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MattAguilarCB for all things Batman!