The Batman movie reboot from the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) may finally be back in pre-production. After Ben Affleck dropped out of the project as the star, director and writer, it has taken his replacement, writer, and director Matt Reeves, a bit of time to kickstart the project.
But according to a Twitter post from the editor of Heroic Hollywood, Umberto Gonzales, Reeves may be finally turning over the new Batman script rewrite to DC and Warner Bros before the end of 2018. Speculations are also rife that Jonah Hill might be joining the solo Batman movie to potentially play the villain Penguin.
An entertainment journalist from Super Bro Movies saw that Hill started following two key DCEU people on his Twitter account. One was Reeves, and the other was Margot Robbie, who plays Harley Quinn in the cinematic universe.
In the DC Comic series, Harley Quinn has a special connection to Penguin. Thus, fans are sure Hill may have just been cast as the character for DCEU. In the meantime, Warner Bros hasn't made any announcements on either the rebooted Batman film and Hill's casting.
Last August, Reeves confirmed that he's been rewriting the Batman script to prepare for production by next summer. After the delays that Affleck's exit caused, it seems like the movie is finally back on track. If Warner Bros executives love the script revisions, then fans of the franchise may likely get some news about the casting and the actual details of the movie by early next year.
In the past, Reeves has stated that his take on the new Batman movie will feature something similar to Jekyll and Hyde. It will also highlight Batman as a skilled detective, which has often been overlooked in the other adaptations.
The writer and director completely dropped the original Batman story that Affleck wrote, which was called "The Batman." Reeves wanted to tackle the reboot with fresh eyes. It's still unclear if the new material will carry the same title.
The next move for the DCEU will also be casting the new Batman to replace Affleck in the solo outing. The actor, however, may still return to play the part for the second part of the "Justice League" film.
Meanwhile, fans have been imagining Hill as the Penguin in the Batman movie. People have been sharing photo composites and artwork of the actor in the character's makeup and costume, Comic Book reported.
