Anna Daniels
Farrell is a skilled and versatile actor who will doubtless have plenty to bring to the role of Cobblepot, but many Bat-fans are still lamenting the loss of the actor who was widely considered to be the first choice of studio Warner Bros. to tackle the role: Jonah Hill, who has demonstrated formidable dramatic chops in flicks like The Wolf of Wall Street and Moneyball. While we can hardly argue that Hill would’ve been a bad choice, it’s been reported that his negotiations with the studio hit a snag that simply couldn’t be overcome.
Namely, Hill apparently wanted just a ton of money. While the actor was in the middle of negotiations with Warner Bros. back in September of 2019, Variety film reporter Justin Kroll leaked a few details of said negotiations on Twitter. Hill’s alleged asking price to join the cast of The Batman: $10 million, not unheard of for an actor of his caliber in a major tentpole picture, but still more than the studio was willing to pony up.
Kroll also noted that Pattinson “isn’t making half that” for leading the film, so the decision to fill the role of the Penguin with someone who was willing to work a bit cheaper is more than understandable. Still, fans are likely to wonder what might have been — unless, of course, Farrell turns in an absolutely stellar performance, which is certainly not outside the realm of possibility. Portraying Cobblepot will likely require the actor to dig deep for some over-the-top villainy, and he proven himself to be quite capable of doing that.
Written by: Looper
