5 Reasons Jake Gyllenhaal Is Perfect For James Gunn’s Batman

“The Batman” director Matt Reeves has chosen to keep his version of Gotham City, in which Robert Pattinson is Bruce Wayne, separate from the larger DC Universe — which means that the DCU’s Wayne Manor is still in need of an occupant. Director Andy Muschietti’s upcoming live-action movie “The Brave and the Bold” will see the Dark Knight in a way we’ve never seen him on the big screen before: as a father. Confirmed during Gunn’s first announcement of the DC slate, the Batman in that world will be taking his estranged son, Damien Wayne, under his cape and fighting the criminals of Gotham as a heroic father-and-son team.

It’s still early days for “The Brave and the Bold,” which doesn’t yet have a release date and has yet to cast its Batman. Plenty of actors have been considered for the role, or proposed by fans, over the years — and one name that’s often been in circulation is Jake Gyllenhaal. While it might be hard to imagine now, Gyllenhaal has an interesting body of work that would make him an ideal fit for the role. In fact, that there was a time when one of the most revered directors in Hollywood had him in mind to play Gotham’s protector.

Before Christian Bale was inhaling throat lozenges by the truck load after taking up the mantle of the feared vigilante, Jake Gylllenhaal was among the list of potentials considered for Christopher Nolan’s take on Batman. Just like Cillian Murphy was a finalist for Bruce Wayne before he became the Scarecrow, Gyllenhaal was eyed by the director but ended up getting a respectful phone call from the director that broke the bad news. During an appearance on The Howard Stern Show, Gyllenhaal explained how he took the news, like any call of that nature, in his stride: 

“I remember getting a call from Christopher Nolan and thinking, ‘I just got a call personally from Christopher Nolan. That’s pretty cool. I’ve gotten pretty far. I went from them going they aren’t sure [about me] to a call saying they’re really thinking about you for this movie. So okay, I should keep going. I should just keep going.”

Over the years, many actors have come close and after a second pass managed to get the gig they were after. Henry Cavill tried and missed out on “Superman Returns” before he landed “Man of Steel,” so could the same be possible for Gyllenhaal? (It’s probably best he didn’t get the first try anyway, particularly given that the love interest ended up being his sister Maggie Gyllenhaal. Last we checked Batman was Bruce Wayne, not Jaime Lannister.)

By this point, Jake Gyllenhaal has plenty of credits under his belt that prove he’s capable of swapping it for one of the utility variety. Batman needs to be sharp, smart, and more than anything intimidating, and in 2013 he checked all those boxes with one of Denis Villeneuve’s best films, “Prisoners.”

Gyllenhaal played Detective Loki, a cop assigned with tracking down two missing girls — one of whom is the daughter of Hugh Jackman’s tortured father, who takes matters into his own hands. But while Jackman is breaking sinks and stalking suspects, Gyllenhaal is battling just as hard trying to do his job and his self control. Loki is the kind of hero fighting with his own rules that Batman has always been portrayed as. Gyllenhaal’s character is always determined to keep both feet behind a line he’s never willing to cross, but it’s one scene from “Prisoners” in particular that shows what Gyllenhaal’s potential Dark Knight could look like if he crossed the line.

During a house visit speaking to David Dastmalchian’s Bob Taylor, Loki grills his suspect from his doorstep. It’s an intense situation, not so much for Taylor’s uneasy response (which certainly adds to the drama) but Loki’s unflinching focus now that he thinks he’s got his man. Gyllenhaal’s take as this detective gives a glimpse of how fierce his Batman could be — shaking down Gotham’s criminals while they’re hanging upside down.

The true skill of the Dark Knight is the way he masks himself behind Gotham’s poster child and billionaire playboy, Bruce Wayne. Through so many iterations of Batman, the balancing act of playing both has been a skill only few have mastered. But in a few of Gyllenhaal’s previous films, he proves that he could fool the world. 

For the charming, sociable smooth talker that Bruce Wayne occasionally has to be, you need only look to his performance as Jamie in “Love and Other Drugs” (where he coincidentally starred opposite Nolan’s Selina Kyle/Catwoman, Anne Hathaway). The film sees Gyllenhaal playing a womanizer who deems winning ladies hearts as easy as selling for pharmaceutical companies. It’s proof positive he could create a smooth and duplicitous Bruce when the need arises.

Then there’s Apple TV+’s “Presumed Innocent,” which shows a confident, work-savvy Gyllenhaal leading a double life when a woman he is having an affair with is found dead. It’s an alarmingly good performance from Gyllenhaal as a flawed individual who is likeable to the right people. That’s what Batman’s Bruce Wayne needs to be: noticeable enough to turn heads, but not enough to keep them there when he needs to dip out into the Batmobile parked out back. And as for the action, Gyllenhaal has proven he can handle himself there.

When Jake Gyllenhaal has been required to throw a punch on screen, he’s always made sure to put the work in to ensure it lands. The likes of “Southpaw” and most recently “Roadhouse” (like the original was serious) displayed Gyllenhaal as an absolute unit. Both these films demanded the kind of heavy work that would be compulsory when playing Batman, and has been demonstrated on the big screen very recently

When Robert Pattinson declared himself as vengeance for the first time in the trailer for “The Batman,” we believed him simply because we’d just seen him slap a criminal around like a freshly caught kipper. That’s something that Gyllenhaal definitely looks like he could do, but there’s more to it than that. In an all-black onesie and pointy ears, Gyllenhaal could really provide an imposing presence, which is what will be needed whenever the Caped Crusader of “The Brave and the Bold” eventually stands alongside David Corenswet’s Man of Steel.

There’s no confirmation of just when the new Superman will share the screen with that DCU’s Bats’, but whoever fills the gig needs to fill the screen as much as his super-powered rival. That’s the kind of presence that Gyllenhaal could definitely muster whenever the World’s Finest ever unite. Most importantly though, it’s an offer that the actor has already said he’d accept if the call ever came.

While it’s all well and good to theorize if Jake Gyllenhaal would be a good Batman, the important thing to address is if he’d actually take on the job. Stepping into the boots of one of DC’s most beloved heroes comes with a lot of baggage and a legacy stretching back decades. In an interview with Screen Rant for “Road House,” Gyllenhaal said he had massive respect for Batman and everyone that has taken up the mantle over the years.

 “Oh, man. That’s a classic. It’s an honor,” he declared. “I’m going to play Iago in ‘Othello’ with Denzel Washington, and I think about, like, the history of actors that have played that role throughout time, and I’m intimidated by that. So that’s the first level.” Even so, just like anyone who has taken on the role over the years, the Bat-fan in Gyllenhaal wasn’t shy about the possibility. “It would be an honor always. Those types of things and those roles are classics.” 

They certainly are, and there’s enough evidence to assure that when it comes to making a list of potential Batman actors for the DCU, Jake Gyllenhaal should certainly be in the conversation.