Jake Gyllenhaal Says He’s Still Open To Playing Batman: “Those Roles Are Classics”

There has been a long list of Batman hopefuls over the years. During the Christopher Nolan era of the DC Comics hero, plenty of actors auditioned for the part in “Batman Begins,” including Henry Cavill, Jake Gyllenhall, and recent Best Actor Oscar-winner Cillian Murphy. The latter became a muse for Nolan, and he played Gotham villain The Scarecrow in “The Dark Knight” trilogy, which eventually led to his shot playing the lead in his atomic bomb drama “Oppenheimer.” One of those former contenders is still game to put on the cowl if the opportunity ever comes around again.

Gyllenhaal is out promoting the upcoming remake of the Patrick Swayze bar-brawler pic “Road House.” While chatting with Screen Rant, the subject of his Batman audition came up, and the actor revealed he’d still be “honored” to be considered. He compared the superhero part to the Shakespearean tradition of theatre actors getting their turn to interpret classic stage characters by citing his role in “Othello” opposite Denzel Washington.

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“Oh, man. That’s a classic. It’s an honor,” Gyllenhaal told the outlet when asked about his desire to play the new Batman. “Speaking of playing roles that other incredible actors have played in the past, to me roles that other incredible actors have played in the past, which, to me, when I think about it, I’m going to play Iago in ‘Othello’ with Denzel Washington, and I think about the history of actors that have played that role throughout time, and I’m intimidated by that. So that’s the first level. That’s what I’m working on right now. But of course. It would be an honor always. Those types of things and those roles are classics.”

While Matt Reeves’ “The Batman Part II” was recently bumped to a release date in October 2026, there is still plenty of room for another Batman incarnation. In fact, James Gunn and DC Studios are attempting to launch their take on the Caped Crusader with “The Brave & The Bold” set in a newly reset DCU. There hasn’t been much in the way of updates on “The Brave & The Bold” outside of the hiring of Argentinian filmmaker Andy Muschietti to helm the superhero pic. Some thought he might exit the project after the weak box office and critical performance of his previous DC outing, “The Flash,” but so far, that’s been nothing but pure speculation.

Despite Gyllenhaal age at 43, this new ‘Brave & The Bold’ version lends itself to an older take on Bruce Wayne. In the comics, this version of Batman oversees his young, skilled assassin son Damien Wayne in the role of classic sidekick Robin (who, hypothetically, could also lead the recently announced “Teen Titans” movie).

“Road House” drops on March 21 exclusively on Amazon Prime Video. As for Gyllenhaal as Batman, well, James Gunn is very visible on social media and, at the very least, would be aware the role is something the actor would still consider. And maybe that’s something.