'The Batman' actor Jeffrey Wright responds to criticism on his role

Jeffrey Wright recently opened up about the backlash he faced for playing Gotham police commissioner, Jim Gordon, in the 2022 film, The Batman.

In a conversation with Collider, the 59-year-old actor revealed that he received racist remarks and hate for portraying a white character as a black man.

Wright said, “I really find it fascinating how there’s such a conversation, and I think even more of a conversation now, about Black characters in these roles.”

He added, “It’s just the dumbest thing. It’s absent all logic.” The Westworld star noted that he wanted to play Jim Gordon as a 21st-century character.

The film is set in a 70s noir New York City, to which he pointed out, “it’s a multicultural place, you only have to ride the subway in New York City to understand what that looks like.”

Wright also noted that he couldn’t understand why people would expect the film to stay true to the comic books, which were released in 1939. He explained that changing characters will not ‘defile the franchise.’

Notably, the 2022 Batman was directed by Matt Reeves and starred Robert Pattinson as the titular character. On April 26 of the same year, Warner Bros. announced Pattinson’s return as Batman in the sequel.

For the unversed, The Batman II is currently under production and has a release date of October 1, 2027.

Who will be the villain in Batman II?

There is no official confirmation of who will be the villain in the sequel of The Batman; however, Clayface from the comic books is rumoured to be the main antagonist.

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