(UDHAYAM, COLOMBO) – Actor Josh Gad has finally gone on the record about the possibility that he will play The Penguin in a Batman movie.
The question was raised in early May after Gad tweeted out, apropos of nothing, a comic book panel featuring the Penguin. Fans naturally began speculating that Gad was hinting at some casting news. However, the actor now says that is not the case.
“Just having some fun,” Gad tells MTV News of his reasons for posting the image. “Just having some fun! Really, I promise! There’s nothing to…there’s no there there. The internet just goes wild. I’m just having some fun putting things out there.”
Gad goes on to say that he’s never even met Matt Reeves, the director of the next Batman solo movie.
“I have not met Matt Reeves. No, no, no,” Gad said. “Seems like a lovely guy. I love his work.”
That said, Gad isn’t against the idea of playing The Penguin in a Batman movie.
“No, never! I would absolutely love to play the Penguin in the Batman movie,” Gad said, though he continued to insist that there’s no conspiracy afoot. “There’s nothing more we need to talk about. It’s all…we’ll see. You know, it’s all we’ll see. Putting it out into the ether!”
There was a rumour, although a dubious one, that The Batman would feature a large number of Batman’s rogues. If that were the case, the Penguin would likely be high on the list.
Of course, there’s plenty of other places the Penguin could show up. DC Films is also working on Gotham City Sirens, Nightwing, and Batgirl movies, and the Penguin would not be out of place in any one of them.
The Penguin was previously played in a live-action film by Danny DeVito in Batman Returns, the second Batman movie directed by Tim Burton. He is currently being played by Robin Lord Taylor on Fox’s Gotham television series and was played by Burgess Meredith in the 1960s Batman television series and the spinoff movie. The character has also appeared in multiple Batman animated stories and video games.
The Penguin was created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane in 1941 and first appeared in Detective Comics #58. The Penguin is rare among Batman’s foes in that he is completely sane and aware of his actions, a true career criminal rather than a made villain. He runs the Iceberg Lounge, which caters to criminal clientele, and is usually portrayed a spurned former member of the aristocratic class, sometimes with an obsession for all things avian.
