Jake Gyllenhaal Batman Actually Possible? Actor Responds To Joining DCU

When asked about the possibility of following up his physical role in Road House by playing Batman in the new DC film, Jake Gyllenhaal expressed his admiration for the character, stating, “That’s a classic. It’s an honor,” while also admiring the “actors that have played that role throughout time, and I’m intimidated by that.” Ultimately, he added that he would gladly portray Batman, given the chance, saying that a role like that would be “an honor always. Those types of things and those roles are classics.” Unfortunately, no specifics about him actually joining the DCU have been revealed.

Jake Gyllenhaal shared his opinions on a possible Batman portrayal during interviews tied to his recently-released Road House, a remake of the classic Patrick Swayze movie from 1989. The movie dropped on March 8, 2024, at South by Southwest and will be available worldwide via Prime Video starting March 21, 2024. As for Jake Gyllenhaal’s Batman portrayal, not many people are aware of the fact that the Brokeback Mountain star nearly portrayed the Caped Crusader, having auditioned for the role in 2005’s Batman Begins.

Last year, the Dark Knight trilogy screenwriter David S. Goyer revealed that Jake Gyllenhaal even got as far as donning the iconic Batman suit for a screen test. Unfortunately for Gyllenhaal—but fortunately for Batman fans the world over—that role went to Christian Bale. With that said, the actor isn’t a stranger to performing in superhero movies, having played the villainous Mysterio in 2019’s Spider-Man: Far From Home, so we have very little doubt that he would make a great Batman.

In fact, Jake Gyllenhaal has plenty of roles that show his incredible physicality, which might be necessary to take on a role such as Batman. This is perhaps best seen in his performance in Southpaw, where he looks physically imposing, while his role in Road House shows that he’s capable of performing realistic fight choreography. Both are actually necessary to play Batman—Christian Bale gained 100 pounds to play the role—and Gyllenhaal definitely has both the physicality and the acting skill to pull it off.

Considering that James Gunn is still setting up his new DCU, the role of Batman is still up for grabs, and Jake Gyllenhaal would be a perfect match for Batman: The Brave and the Bold, adapting the classic “Batman and Robin” storyline from the comics. It just so happens that Gunn and Safran are planning to adapt that particular storyline for the upcoming Batman movie, and Gyllenhaal is the perfect age to play a more experienced Batman who discovers that he has a young son with Talia Al-Ghoul.

However, given that the details regarding that particular project are still kept tightly under wraps, it’s not outside the realm of possibility for Jake Gyllenhaal to audition for Batman one more time.