Two-time Oscar nominee Jonah Hill is reportedly in talks to join The Batman starring Robert Pattinson. And, while it’s not yet known exactly which part Hill will be playing, the speculation is that he will be the film’s villain.

According to Variety, Hill is the producer’s top pick to be Pattinson’s co-star, and they even had their eyes on him before they cast Pattinson in the titular role. The producers kept Hill top of mind but put his casting on hold until they made a deal with the former Twilight star.

Jonah Hill is in talks to star in the upcoming #Batman movie alongside Robert Pattinson https://t.co/nqLoZPWNlg pic.twitter.com/k5RaXCD8CE

— Variety (@Variety) September 23, 2019

Producers have not yet signed Hill to a deal for the Matt Reeves’ directed project, and there is still a chance it won’t happen. But, both sides are reportedly at the table and negotiating the terms of the 35-year-old Hill joining the cast.

Pre-production on The Batman is expected to begin soon, and filming could start as early as the end of this year. The project has reportedly been put on the fast track after sitting on the shelf for years.

Ben Affleck was the original director and star of the project, but he handed off the directing duties to Reeves in January 2017. When Reeves decided he wanted to tell the story of Bruce Wayne’s detective work and transition into Batman – which would put the character in his early 30s – Affleck stepped away from the project and took his last turn as the character in Justice League.

Reeves found his Batman in May when he cast Pattinson, but the 33-year-old actor was not happy when the news of his audition leaked to the press before it even took place.

View this post on Instagram

The internet has been very interested in this photo of me dropping my coffee. But we’re all forgetting the real tragedy here. We’re forgetting to mourn this coffee. I didn’t know it long but damn was our time together special. As fleeting as it was. I’ll never forget you. ☕️ ❤️

A post shared by Jonah Hill (@jonahhill) on Sep 12, 2019 at 3:00pm PDT

“When that thing leaked, I was f**king furious,” said Pattinson. “Everyone was so upset. Everyone was panicking from my team. I sort of thought that had blown up the whole thing. I was like, ‘Oh f**k! Does that screw me because they are so intent on secrecy?'”

At the time, Pattinson was in France for the Cannes Film Festival to promote his movie The Lighthouse, and he said that the audition came so quickly after the leak that he rehearsed his lines in his Cannes hotel room before flying to Los Angeles.

Source: https://celebrityinsider.org