The Batman’s Jeffrey Wright Shares His Commissioner Gordon Comic Research

Jeffery Wright is already showing off his dedication to his role as Commissioner Gordon in The Batman, with a post to Instagram. This is not the first time Wright used social media to build hype for the film, in early January Wright announced via Twitter that he was “off to Gotham” as filming had begun. Wright has become a recognizable face on screen after notable performances in the HBO series Westworld and several recent Bond films, such as Casino Royale. 

In October last year, writer/director Matt Reeves announced that he had cast Wright for the role of Commissioner Jim Gordon in The Batman. This role is an incredibly important one for the series as Gordon is one of Batman’s few actual friends. Gary Oldman played the character exceptionally well in the Dark Knight Trilogy. J.K. Simmons most recently portrayed the character in Justice League. Gordon’s role in the film was very brief, but due to the film’s poor performance, many changes were made to DC’s plans for future projects such as The Batman, which was initially supposed to be written, directed, and starring Ben Affleck.

Wright posted a picture of Batman: The Golden Age Vol. 1 to his Instagram account.  So far, the photo has surpassed one thousand ‘likes’ and garnered plenty of positive feedback in the comments. Many commenters expressed their optimism and belief that Wright will play an excellent Jim Gordon. This is a massive opportunity for Wright to grow as an actor, this will surely be a key role in a blockbuster film.

The book, which Wright called “background reads for the culture,” is a collection of the very first Batman comic book issues, as well as early appearances in Detective Comics, where his origin story was first revealed. There were many differences in the Golden Age Batman compared to now. Early Batman was known to knock bad guys off buildings or hang them by a rope while gliding through the air. It is great to see Wright committed to his role and the project by taking an interest in the history and lore of Batman.

As with Robert Pattinson’s version of Batman, Wright will be a younger Gordon than previous iterations. The comparison in age between Pattinson vs. Affleck, as well as Wright vs. Oldman and Simmons, is significant. This youth, suggests the plot of The Batman could be an origin story for both characters – or at least a story set at the beginning of their careers.

Jeffery Wright is an actor that has put in several quality performances and gives every indication he intends to give his all to The Batman as well. His research into the early Batman comics is a good sign, as far as his work ethic and dedication are concerned. How his performance fares, as well as the overall quality of the film, will be seen when the film hits theaters on June 25, 2021.