Will Penguin Be the Main Villain in The Batman or Birds of Prey?

The Penguin was talked about quite a bit as the main villain in Matt Reeves’The Batmanaround this time last year, but that was before it was revealed that Reeves had completely trashed Ben Affleck’s script to start fresh. Josh Gad was heavily rumored to be playing the character and the actor stoked those fires every chance he got. However, a lot has changed since then and we haven’t heard much in the way ofOswald Cobblepottaking the lead villain role inThe Batmanin about year. Now, a new report suggests that the Penguin will be the big bad after all.

The new report comes from Variety’s Justin Kroll who reportedly has some DCEU intel. Kroll emphasizes that the DCEU has been undergoing a lot of big changes behind-the-scenes, which is common knowledge. He insinuates that ifthe Penguindoesn’t show up inThe Batman, that he will more than likely end up in the upcomingBirds of Preymovie. He had this to say.

“Take this with a grain of salt as things are constantly changing in the DCEU but I’m hearing the Penguin is possibly the choice to play the main villain inThe Batman. Sources add even if Reeves decide to go another route the studio could then make him the main villain inBirds of Prey.”

It had been previously reported that the Penguin was the main villain in one of the few scripts that is being considered forBirds of Prey. Additionally, Matt Reeves is still working on the script forThe Batmanat this time after recently completing an outline. The DCEU and Reeves could end up changing plans at any time in the creative process, so even if this report is accurate, it might not end up happening in the end.

As for Josh Gad, he wasnever officially confirmed for the roleof the Penguin inThe Batmanbut he was leaving some pretty heavy hints. The actor met at DC headquarters and both DC and Gad shared the pictures on social media. Gad has even posted pictures and gif files of penguins in response to some of Matt Reeves' tweets. Josh Gad could end up playing the Penguin inThe Batmanor evenBirds of Prey, since it seems that the DCEU and Warner Bros. want the character in some form or another on the big screen.

We previously sawDanny DeVito’s version of the Penguinin 1992’sBatman Returns, which will bring up the great comparison debate if this report ends up being proven true. It had previously been reported that Ben Affleck wanted to use a villain that had not been seen on the big screen yet, but his initial script is no longer being used. In fact, it’s not even clear if he will portray the Caped Crusader inThe Batmanat this time. You can read the original report below, courtesy ofJustin Kroll’s Twitteraccount.