'It's Just the Dumbest Thing' — Jeffrey Wright Eager to Return as Commissioner Gordon for The Batman 2, but Slams 'Racist and Stupid' Response to His Casting

Jeffrey Wright has deed retired astatine the “racist and stupid” effect to his casting arsenic Commissioner Gordon for The Batman 2.

In an interrogation with Collider, Wright was said to beryllium anxious to instrumentality for The Batman 2, which starts filming aboriginal adjacent twelvemonth for a 2027 release, but expressed vexation astatine the backlash to the casting of a Black antheral successful the long-running relation of Jim Gordon.

"I truly find it fascinating the ways successful which there's specified a conversation, and I deliberation adjacent much of a speech now, astir Black characters successful these roles," helium said.

"It's conscionable truthful f***ing racist and stupid. It's conscionable truthful unsighted successful a mode that I find revealing to not admit that the improvement of these films reflects the improvement of society, that someway it's defiling this franchise not to support it grounded successful the taste world of 1939 erstwhile the comic books were archetypal published. It's conscionable the dumbest thing. It's absent each logic."

Wright was vocal astatine the clip of the backlash, erstwhile his casting arsenic Gordon was announced for Matt Reeves’ 2022 film. However, according to Collider, helium remains frustrated astatine the ongoing speech astir the role.

"What I emotion astir our Batman is however gritty and granular and accessible it is,” helium said. “Ours is simply a Gotham that's calved retired of ‘70s noir successful presumption of its cinematic aesthetic — ‘70s noir New York.

"Obviously, New York City is the template for Gotham, and if you look astir New York City successful the ‘70s, oregon if you look astir New York City, of course, today, it's a multicultural place. So, immoderate Gotham wrong a modern movie successful the Batman bid that's going to beryllium authentic has to beryllium reflective of a modern American metropolis. That's conscionable what it is."

Jeffrey Wright is acceptable to reprise his relation arsenic Commissioner Gordon successful The Batman 2. Photo by Ian West/PA Images via Getty Images.

Wright went connected to constituent to the archetypal creators of Batman, Bob Kane and Bill Finger, who were “two Jewish guys up successful the Bronx, imagining heroes and villains successful a metropolis that looked similar the metropolis astir them astatine the time, but I deliberation what they imagined was open-ended. I deliberation that the occurrence and the longevity of these stories and characters are owing to the openness of their imaginations and what they created."

Clearly, Wright is invested successful the quality of Gordon, and we’ll spot him reprise the relation successful The Batman 2. “I consciousness that I ain these stories arsenic overmuch arsenic anyone,” helium said. “Perhaps now, due to the fact that I'm a portion of them, I person the astir tegument successful the game.”

The Batman 2 presently has an Oct 1, 2027 merchandise date. Reeves has said helium acceptable retired to marque a trilogy of Batman films, and arsenic of past twelvemonth that program was inactive on, but fixed however agelong it’s taken to get The Batman 2 going (if it does travel retired successful October 2027, it’ll get five-and-a-half years aft The Batman), the thought of The Batman 3 pursuing successful a timely manner feels unlikely.

Meanwhile, James Gunn has his ain plans for the DC Universe’s Batman, who helium has insisted won’t beryllium played by Matt Reeves’ Batman actor, Robert Pattinson. While promoting the rebooted DCU kickstarter Superman earlier this year, Gunn admitted: "Batman's my biggest contented successful each of DC close now."

Photo by Ian West/PA Images via Getty Images.

Wesley is Director, News astatine IGN. Find him connected Twitter astatine @wyp100. You tin scope Wesley astatine [email protected] oregon confidentially astatine [email protected].