THE BATMAN: PART II Star Jeffrey Wright on Jim Gordon and Where He Hopes His Story Goes
Matt Reeves is currently preparing for production on The Batman: Part II. We don’t really know anything about the story it will tell, but The Penguin series is said to lead into it and Hush is rumored to be the villain.
While we wait for any other updates, Jeffrey Wright talks about his character Jim Gordon and where he hopes his story will go in the franchise. While talking to Discussing Film, he said:
"Well, it's probably not a good idea to get too far ahead of Matt [Reeves]. One of the things that I've spoken about with him a little bit is, in playing the role, I wondered about his private life and I wonder about people who have the level of responsibility that he has, having that public face of rectitude and goodness."
"I wonder what lies underneath Commissioner Gordon because the Batman wears his cowl but, in some ways, Gordon wears a mask too. Gordon represents justice in a way through his type of righteousness, not sanctimony, and I wonder what might lie behind that mask with the sacrifices that he may have to consider because he gives so much to this public persona and his civic duty."
"What's the bearing of all that on him, underneath his mask? Those are questions that might be interesting to pursue, but we'll see. I'm looking forward to the opportunity to read and dive back into it, but I know as much as you know about it at the moment. We'll get there!"
These are definitely things that would be interesting to explore and it seems like something that Reeves would incorporate into the story, but we’ll have to wait and see!
Wright previously talked about his role as Jim Gordon, and when asked what it was like bringing the character to life on screen, he said:
"Well, I think the word grounded really is what we were going for. It’s what attracted me to Matt’s vision upon reading the script. What’s remarkable about our film is that, and it’s very gratifying to have been a part of, is that the script is really fully realised on the screen. Matt had very a specific vision and tone he wanted to realise, and we did it. It really was that; it was grounded and authentic. It was tangible.
"So, for Gordon, still a Lieutenant as we’re in Year Two of Batman’s story, he is literally boots on the ground in that he’s still a cop in the street and that partnership with Batman, who we celebrate as the World’s Greatest Detective going back to the origin of his character in the comics, really flourishes under this construct that Matt’s created. It was really activating for me and I think we see Gordon and Batman and their partnership in a way we perhaps haven’t in previous versions of the story."
Wright is awesome in the role of Jim Gordon and it’ll be interesting to see how his story arc continues to play out in Reeves/Batman franchise.
