New The Batman Footage Reveals More Details About Jim Gordon

Batman fans are happy to get any new looks at Matt Reeves The Batman movie reboot – and today we have something to share! DC fans dove into the special features of the Batman Year One animated movie Commemorative Edition 4K Ultra HD release, and found a nice treat waiting for them: “Reinventing Gordon”, the featurette that was recently shown at DC FanDome. Now that “Reinventing Gordon” is circulating out there on social media, we’re getting a look at some of its new footage from The Batman, as well as word from new Jim Gordon actor Jeffrey Wright: 

“I did go back and look at some of the early comics, and some of the more modern stuff. Just to track the evolution of Gordon,” Wright explains in the video. “And that was useful because there IS an evolution.”

That’s a rather astute observation by Wright: few supporting characters in major superhero comics can claim to have had a longer, or more dynamic, story arc than Jim Gordon. His very job titles as a cop (“detective,” “lieutenant,” “commissioner” “former commissioner”) denote the stages of evolution his character has been through during different eras and/or timelines of Batman storytelling; his legacy and name extend into a new generation of of Batman stories (and soon movies), thanks to his daughter Barbara Gordon (aka Batgirl/Oracle). Even now, Gordon continues to go through some drastic character evolution that could affect the larger Batman franchise (see: the current Joker comic series).

One thing is for certain: capturing who Jim Gordon is as a character has certainly gotten more complicated over the years – something that Jeffrey Wright clearly understands: 

I think what the Batman series has evolved into is not so much kind of a black and white, good vs. evil idea, but something a little more nuanced. And I don’t even know if Gordon necessarily is good, so much as he desires being good.” 

The Batman was the big headliner of this year’s DC Fansdome event, where Reeves and Warner Bros. dropped the official trailer for the film. So far, it seems like fans are warming up to Robert Pattinson’s Bruce Wayne/Batman – while Zoe Kravitz’s Catwoman and Colin Farell’s Penguin are early breakout favorites. 

“In his second year of fighting crime, Batman uncovers corruption in Gotham City that connects to his own family while facing a serial killer known as The Riddler.”

The Batman will be in theaters on March 4, 2022.