Less than an hour after the news broke last month that Jeffrey Wright was being eyed to play Commissioner James Gordon in The Batman, it was reported that Jonah Hill was also in talks to join the Caped Crusader’s next movie, only he’d be contributing in a villainous capacity if a deal was signed. Sadly for those of you who were excited at the prospect of seeing Hill in a theatrical Batman tale, word’s come in that he passed on the project.
This update comes from Deadline, which reported that Jonah Hill is no longer in talks to play one of The Batman’s main antagonists. Apparently talks between Hill and Warner Bros broke down, and now the studio is looking at new candidates to fill that empty slot.
It’s a good bet that the main reasons negotiations fell through is the same reason so many do: money. It was reported that Jonah Hill was looking to make $10 million for appearing in The Batman, $5 million more than Robert Pattinson, the man bringing Bruce Wayne to life, would be paid. It wouldn’t have been the first time an actor playing a villain in a Batman movie would earn more than the actual Batman actor, as that’s what happened with Jack Nicholson on 1989’s Batman, but in this instance, it’s a moot point since Hill has departed.