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Gary Oldman has given his verdict on the latest iteration of Commissioner Gordon in Matt Reeves’ The Batman.
The acting icon starred as the head of the Gotham City Police Department and one of Batman's most trusted allies in all three of Christopher Nolan’s cinematic takes on the DC comics: Batman Begins, The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises.
As one of the most iconic non-superpowered characters in this strand of the DC universe, James ‘Jim’ Gordon has been portrayed a variety of ways on the big screen, with Oldman’s version remaining a true fan favourite.
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So when Jeffrey Wright took on the role, he knew – just as Robert Pattinson did as the Caped Crusader – that he had some big boots to fill.
And fill them he did, with critics and audiences alike praising Wright’s portrayal of the character, who in the film has not yet been promoted to commissioner and is clearly feeling the strain of having to alleviate tensions between Batman and the cops.
But the question remains: what does Oldman think of his replacement?
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UNILAD posed this to the Oscar-winning icon while sat down to discuss his exciting new espionage thriller Slow Horses.
When we asked what he thought of The Batman’s Gordon, he replied: “Oh I love Jeffrey Wright. The atmosphere was impeccable, I love the dark world they created.”
Oldman went on to say: “I worked with him in Basquiat, in his first real big showpiece as it were, and I just think he’s fantastic. I’ve also been fortunate enough to work with Matt Reeves for Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, and I love Matt, he’s an amazing director and I really enjoyed The Batman.”
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Clearly the feeling is mutual, as last month Wright shared a throwback picture of himself alongside Oldman on set of the biopic Basquiat, which hit cinemas over 25 years ago.
Wright posted the black-and-white snap on his Instagram page alongside the caption: “Two Gordons. 1995. Gotham City. Pass the light. @TheBatman. March 4.”
Alongside his admiration for the latest DC hit, Oldman and his co-star Jack Lowden (Dunkirk) opened up about their upcoming show Slow Horses, which follows a team of British intelligence agents who serve in a dumping ground department of MI5 – Slough House.
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When asked what makes the show different from other spy/police dramas out there, Oldman explained: “Its humour sets it apart, it’s got a very subversive, dark humour. The series is based on these books and it’s all from the imagination of the author Mick [Herron].”
Adding to this, Lowden said he was drawn to the cynicism of the characters, stating: “I've got a mate that was a cop for nine years in Dundee. He's now an actor, and he would routinely tell me whenever he watches a cop drama or something like that, that everybody was so on task and earnest. And he says that’s just not what cops are like. They’ve got this dark humour and that’s what’s great about Slow Horses is you see this in the characters.”
The first two episodes of Slow Horses will premiere globally on April 1 2022 on Apple TV+, with new episodes premiering weekly on Fridays thereafter.
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Daisy Phillipson