What Role Did Jonah Hill Decline for The Batman?

The Batman is on track to supply DC fans with the darkest live-action adaptation yet, but two villains of the feature could have had a very different actor portraying them.

With just over a month to go until release day, the fandom is reminiscing over the time when Jonah Hill was attached to the project and we reveal who the actor was supposed to play and why he dropped out.

Directed by Matt Reeves, The Batman will see Robert Pattinson don the cowl in a raw adaptation of Bruce Wayne’s younger years as the Dark Knight, alongside Zoë Kravitz, Paul Dano, Jeffrey Wright, Andy Serkis, and Colin Farrell.

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Who was Jonah Hill Going to Play in The Batman?

Jonah Hill was once interested in portraying both The Penguin and The Riddler in The Batman.

It was reported by THR in September 2019 that Hill was in talks to play either character after rumors had previously circled the internet showing fan art of the actor as The Penguin.

As it transpired, the role of The Riddler quickly passed to Paul Dano and The Penguin fell into the lap of Colin Farrell, who has had to undergo extensive prosthetic work in order for the crew to achieve the villain’s desired look.

Why Did the Actor Decline the Role?

Jonah Hill reportedly left the project a month later because a decision could not be made on which character he should portray.

Warner Bros. and Hill were apparently a long way away from making a concrete deal and negotiations were moving too slowly for both parties resulting in Hill walking from the project.

It is unclear whether Warner Bros. retracted the offer to Hill or if he walked away from the project independently, as the company’s swift announcement that Dano would step in came very quickly after Hill’s departure.

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Fan Art of Jonah Hill as The Penguin and The Riddler

Jonah Hill as The Penguin has clearly been a favorite match amongst fan artists, who illustrated a number of mock-ups to visualize this seemingly perfect fan casting.

Popular digital artist, Bosslogic, created an impressive piece of concept art in tune with the villain’s design from Batman Returns.

Additionally, artist, William Gray, created a more colorful piece in the style of Joel Schumacher’s films.

Artist ‘ultraraw26’ on Instagram also had a go at designing Hill as The Riddler, complete with a steampunk aesthetic.

By Jo Craig – [email protected]

The Batman hits theaters March 4, 2022.

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