Jeffrey Wright Talks about THE BATMAN and How They Are Creating a Real and Gritty Gotham City
Jeffery Wright, the actor who plays Jim Gordon in director Matt Reeves’ The Batman, recently appeared on SiriusXM’s The Jess Cagle Show. While on the show the actor opened up on the film and offered some insight into what they are doing to bring Gotham City to life in a real and gritty way.
“The way that I kind of explained what we’re doing is that, like with any film, we’re working together to create a mood, to create an idea, a setting, a tone. That’s all being led of course by Matt Reeves. He’s created this vision for this thing that, of course, is the next evolution, you know, since 1939 when these stories began. This is the next evolution of Gotham. I’m working off of the stage that Matt has provided and also working off of what Robert [Pattinson] is doing. We’re trying to create something together that is, you know, that’s our own but is also Batman."
After talking about the images that have been previously released by Reeves, Wright explained:
“That really is kind of indicative of what we’re doing in that it’s something that you recognize. Something that’s super hyped up. It’s grounded in Gotham, it’s grounded in Americana. It’s something that you can relate to and I think those are the types of elements that were really kind of driving us… How do we make it gritty, real Gotham, and at the same time give it all the, you know… veneer and the excitement of the Batman franchise.”
Reeves previously talked about his approach to Batman, saying:
“I’m going to pitch the version of Batman that I would do, which is going to have a humanist bent. And who knows if they’ll have any interest? If they don’t, then I won’t do it. And that’ll be okay. I was really lucky that they said yes.”
He went on to explain that his film leans into the emotional side of the story:
“It’s not even like that’s an approach that I take, like it’s some kind of idea of, ‘Wouldn’t it be great?’ It’s sort of the only thing that allows me to understand how to do it. I can only understand where the camera goes and how to talk about the story, how to write the story, how to talk to the actors, if I understand emotionally what it is I have to do. Otherwise I’d be lost. Some people are incredible choreographers and they know how to create an incredible visual dance, or all of that kind of stuff. And I love that kind of stuff. But at the end of the day, I have to understand it emotionally.”
He also confirmed that the movie will not be an origin story, but it certainly will acknowledge his origin as it’s still something that he’s “majorly struggling” with.
Fans have got high hopes for this movie, and it’s going to be interesting to see how it turns out. I’m confident that Reeves is going to give the fans something special. If he doesn’t, well, the fans won’t hold back in letting him know!
The Batman is now scheduled to hit theaters on October 1, 2021.