Jake Gyllenhaal Becoming The DCU’s New Batman Would Vindicate Him After A 19-Year-Old Missed Opportunity

Jake Gyllenhaal becoming the DCU’s new Batman would vindicate the iconic actor following a missed opportunity 19 years ago. Although Robert Pattinson is playing the Caped Crusader in Matt Reeves’ isolated The Batman trilogy, DC Studios’ imminent DC Universe reboot will need a new actor to play the Dark Knight in their upcoming movie, The Brave and the Bold. To that end, Gyllenhaal is one of many names that have been proposed by fans in recent months.

Not only does Jake Gyllenhaal look the part to play Bruce Wayne, but he also has the experience to bring one of DC Comics’ most popular superheroes to life. Similarly, it certainly helps that the actor himself has commented about his interest in the role, as well as the fact that he nearly played Batman almost two decades earlier. Keeping that in mind, there are several reasons why Jake Gyllenhaal is such a strong contender to play the DCU’s new Batman in the near future.

Jake Gyllenhaal Lost The Batman Role To Christian Bale In 2005

A Testament To His Future Dark Knight Potential

2005 saw the release of Batman Begins, the first chapter of Christopher Nolan’s legendary Dark Knight trilogy. Much like Matt Reeves’ current The Batman trilogy, Nolan’s movies were set in their own universe and world, offering a more grounded take on the Caped Crusader and his mythos. To that end, actor Christian Bale was cast to play Batman in Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy, though he wasn’t the only actor who was heavily considered for the iconic superhero role.

Jake Gyllenhaal was also in the running to play the Dark Knight in Batman Begins before the role ultimately went to Bale. However, it’s recently been revealed by Gyllenhaal himself that he received a personal call from Nolan, a testament to just how close Jake Gyllenhaal came to being the live-action Batman of the 2000s. However, perhaps the time has finally come for Gyllenhaal to don the cape and cowl on the big screen now that a brand-new version of Batman is being developed, one connected to the wider DC Universe that’s currently in the works.

Jake Gyllenhaal Getting The DCU Batman Role Would Vindicate Him

The Actor Would Be Honored To Finally Get The Role

Jake Gyllenhaal has recently commented on his missed Batman role as well as how honored he’d be if he were to get a new chance to play the Caped Crusader. Speaking with ScreenRant during the press tour for 2024’s Road House, Gyllenhaal referenced the classic nature and legacy of the Batman role and how he’d have to overcome the intimidation that inherently comes with it:

“That’s the first level. That’s what I’m working on right now. But of course. It would be an honor always. Those types of things and those roles are classics.”

Gyllenhaal later doubled down on his Batman comments, confirming that he would be both honored and flattered to receive a new chance to be cast as Batman in the future with the DCU’s upcoming Brave and the Bold:

“One interview… I knew it… Someone asked me and… Of course, I would be flattered. Anyone would be.”

While other Batman candidates have been proposed by DC fans such as Reacher’s Alan Ritchson or Supernatural’s Jensen Ackles, Gyllenhaal is certainly a top contender due to past considerations where he nearly got the role in Nolan’s trilogy, combined with his own interest in tackling the legacy DC Comics character.

Why Jake Gyllenhaal Would Be The Perfect Batman Now

More Experienced And The Right Age

One could argue that Jake Gyllenhaal is in a much better position to become the next Batman now than he was 19 years ago due to his own personal growth and additional experience as an actor and in terms of the kind of Dark Knight DC Studios is looking for to debut in their new cinematic universe. Firstly, Gyllenhaal has certainly been involved in his fair share of blockbusters since 2005. This specifically includes the superhero genre when Gyllenhaal played Mysterio in 2019’s Spider-Man: Far From Home, a villain who attempted to convince the world he was the next big hero.

While not much is known about the DCU’s Brave and the Bold, it has been confirmed that Damian Wayne will be Batman’s current Robin, Bruce Wayne’s fourth Boy Wonder and biological son. This implies that an older Batman will be cast for the DCU, unlike Pattinson’s Batman who is closer to the start of his vigilante career in Reeves’ trilogy. At 43, Gyllenhaal is the perfect age to play a Bruce Wayne with a son who will likely be a pre-teen just as he was introduced in the original DC Comics.

Everything We Know About The DCU’s Batman

The Brave And The Bold

Damian Wayne being Batman’s Robin implies quite a bit for the DCU’s Brave and the Bold. As the fourth Boy Wonder, it implies the existence of Batman’s three other Robins, Dick Grayson’s Nightwing, Jason Todd’s Red Hood, and Tim Drake (also Stephanie Brown’s brief tenure as Robin who is now a Batgirl). This could also mean that Barabara Gordon’s Batgirl is active as well, along with other members of Bruce Wayne’s Bat Family who’ve yet to make it to the big screen.

To that end, Jake Gyllenhaal becoming Batman would likely mean that he would be the focal point for an entire sub-genre of “Bat Stories” within the greater DCU (a very exciting prospect). However, it will likely be some time before anything concrete is revealed regarding The Brave and the Bold. After all, neither writers, directors, nor a release date have been confirmed for the upcoming DCU project, let alone a cast where Gyllenhaal is hopefully the leading Dark Knight 19 years later.