Last month, there were rumours that American actor Jonah Hill was being eyed to play the villain in the new "Batman" movie. Now, there are reports claiming that the "Superbad" actor has passed on the opportunity to play the bad guy.
Deadline reported that the two-time Oscar nominee was no longer in talks to play the villain for the upcoming reboot of "The Batman," which will see "Twilight" actor Robert Pattinson play the role of the Caped Crusader.
After reports of Hill's involvement in the upcoming film started surfacing late last month, there was a lot of speculation that the 35-year-old actor would either play the Riddler or the Penguin in the DC film. The talks between Hill and Warner Bros. have reportedly broken down and the studio is now looking for other candidates for the roles.
The reasons behind Hill's decision to pass on the project are not yet known. However, the initial casting report had warned that the negotiations could fall apart because the "Wolf of Wall Street" actor had become very "choosy" with his projects, and that's exactly what seems to have gone down.
Other reports suggest that Hill's asking price of $10 million was too much for the studio. Pattinson is getting paid less than $5 million to don the cape and cowl, so it's possible that Hill's decision was due to his own financial interest.
The news comes days after Zoe Kravitz was announced to portray the character of Batman's nemesis and occasional love interest, Catwoman, in the superhero movie. "Westworld" actor Jeffrey Wright will join Pattinson and Kravitz as Commissioner Gordon.
Pattinson is set to reprise his role as Batman in all three instalments of the rebooted franchise while it is not yet clear how many films Kravitz or Wright will make an appearance in.
Matt Reeves, whose credits include "Planet of the Apes" and "Cloverfield," took over as director after Ben Affleck stepped away from the role. Although no official production date has been set, filming is expected to start late 2019 or early 2020. "The Batman" is slated to hit theatres on June 25, 2021.
