Jake Gyllenhaal still wants to play Batman: “It would be an honour”

Jake Gyllenhaal has revealed that he would love to play Batman if he were given the opportunity.

• READ MORE: ‘The Batman’ review: down in the dumps with Robert Pattinson’s dark knight

As James Gunn‘s DC Universe begins to shape up, more roles in the superhero world are being cast, including Superman, Supergirl and Lex Luthor. However, one hero that has yet to be cast is Batman/Bruce Wayne.

A perennial contender to play Batman whenever the role opens up, Jake Gyllenhaal was recently asked about potentially starring in Gunn’s DC Universe as the Caped Crusader. Gyllenhaal said to Screen Rant: “Oh, man. That’s a classic [role]. It’s an honour. Speaking of playing roles that other incredible actors have played in the past…”

Gyllenhaal said further: “When I think about it, 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. That’s what I’m working on right now. But of course. It would be an honour always. Those types of things and those roles are classics.”

Gyllenhaal has been linked with Bruce Wayne/Batman since the early 2000s, when it was announced that Christopher Nolan would be adapting Batman for the silver screen, which was later dubbed the Dark Knight Trilogy. Gyllenhaal, per Deadline Hollywood, had auditioned for the role and was considered to be a top contender but ultimately lost out to Christian Bale.

Gyllenhaal would once again be linked to the superhero in 2017 when Matt Reeves began looking at actors for The Batman, which would eventually go to Robert Pattinson.

The Batman Part 2, once again starring Pattinson and led by Reeves, has recently shared that due to delays caused by last year’s SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes, the film is being pushed back an entire year, and will only release in October 2026.

In a four-star-review of The Batman, NME wrote: “Director Matt Reeves has mixed up gritty mob drama with film-noir detective thriller – and thanks to Dano’s ultra-creepy villain, some psychological horror too. Most of the time it comes off brilliantly.”