Josh Gad visited DC headquarters late yesterday afternoon and posed for a picture while holding a comic book with thePenguinon the cover. What does it all mean? It is really starting to look like Gad could be joining the DCEU. At the beginning of May, Gad posted a photo of the notorious villain on social media, which lead to wild speculation that Gad could possibly portray the Penguin in theThe Batmanmovie set to be directed by Matt Reeves.
What is Gad doing at DC headquarters? He posted the picture of himself on hisTwitterpage with the caption: “Nothing to see here…” But there is obviously something to see there, but what is it? Most of Gad’s hints have been really vague and not provided much information about his possible involvement in the DCEU. He’s in DC headquarters holding a comic book with the Penguin on it. So far there is no official word on whatJosh Gadwas doing with Geoff Johns and Jon Berg of DC Entertainment or if Gad and DC are just having fun at our expense.
AfterBen Affleckstepped down from the director’s chair, Reeves took over and it has been said that the standaloneBatmanmovie would see some major re-workings and that seems to line up what we know now. Originally it looked as if Joe Manganiello was going to play Deathstroke as the main villain inBatman, but it appears as if that’s not happening anymore. When asked in January if Manganiello was still Deathstroke, he responded, saying that he did not know, that it was a ‘maybe’. But this would go against the grain of what Affleck originally intended for his first soloBatmanmovie. Affleck had said in the past that he was attracted to the idea ofusing a villainthat had not been seen in any of the previous movies. DCEU also hasSuicide Squad 2andGotham City Sirensin the works, which could also be a great fit for Gad’s Penguin. Let’s just hope that it’s notSuicide Squad 2…
Penguin has certainly been seen before on the big screen. Danny DeVito played an excellent Penguin in 1992’sBatman Returns, which was directed by Tim Burton. DeVito’s portrayal was 25 years ago, but is still seen as a classic, dark interpretation on the crime boss. A lot of fans still see DeVito’s portrayal as the pinnacle and it will be hard for some fans (just like anything) to accept a new Penguin. Some fans will inevitably want to see Robin Taylor’s young version of Penguin fromGothamand really you can’t blame them, but you really can’t please everybody. Gad does seem like the perfect man to step into the Penguin’s shoes at this time and put his own spin on the crime boss. He certainly seems excited.
Reeves' schedule will open up after the release of his current project,War for the Planet of the Apes, which opens on July 14th, 2017 and that should get production forBatmanon the fast track. So will we see Gad’s Penguin stand off with Affleck’s Batman? The answer to that question will undoubtedly be answered soon. Until then, check out Gad’s tweet below.
