Matt Reeves is trying awfully hard to get his solo Batman movie off the ground but it’s proving harder than expected. And if a mega juicy scoop is to be believed, Marvel played a bit of a part in these headaches for Reeves and DC because of their Phase 4 MCU plans for Blade.
According to Collider‘s Jeff Sneider’s podcast, The Sneider Cut, Oscar winner Mahershala Ali was apparently the “top choice” for Reeves and DC to play Commissioner Jim Gordon in the upcoming Batman flick, even meeting with Reeves for the role.
Presumably this meeting took place on the top of a rooftop while skylights with the Bat symbol were blasting into the night sky.
Now Ali joining the DC Extended Universe as Batman’s important ally would’ve been awesome but Marvel royally screwed DC and Reeves’ big plans by casting him as Blade.
While it is possible for actors to stick their fingers in both the MCU and DCEU pies – just ask Laurence Fishburne and Zachery Levi – it doesn’t look like Ali will be double-dipping as Sneider says the actor isn’t looking to “do yet another comic book movie” now that he’s got his own Marvel movie franchise to lead.
It’s quite the first world problem situation we’ve got here – one which should be taken with a mountain of salt – but if it all is true, we certainly don’t blame Ali for choosing Marvel over DC here.
Why play second fiddle to Batman in a Robert Pattinson flick when he can be Blade in his own Marvel franchise and have “Mahershala Ali is Blade” in big letters on posters everywhere?
But don’t feel bad for DC and Reeves as there are plenty of other great actors out there who would make a great Jim Gordon.
Maybe we’ll get to see J.K. Simmons back in the role. He’ll probably want to have another crack at the character after the travesty that was Justice League.