Movie News Bits: Batman, CAPTAIN MARVEL, CAPTAIN BRITAIN, WONDER WOMAN 2, INFIDEL

Welcome to the latest installment of Movie News Bits. Today, we have a new actor interested in playing Batman, some Captain Marvel casting, Simon Pegg’s desired superhero role, Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman 2 paycheck, and a new comic book movie in the works.

A lot of actors have expressed interest in paying Batman over the years, and the latest is former Dexter star Michael C. Hall. Speaking with Yahoo! Movies UK, the actor admits that Batman is his favorite superhero, recalling that he voiced an alternate version of him in Justice League: Gods and Monsters. When asked if he would want to play Batman in live action, he says, “Well, thanks, sure – I’m all for that.” He adds that he’s particularly a fan of Michael Keaton’s Batman,

With Ben Affleck’s future as Batman uncertain, Warner Bros. may be looking for a new actor soon to fill the cowl. Names like Jon Hamm and Jake Gyllenhaal have been rumored to replace Affleck. But could Hall be the next Batman? We’ll just have to wait and see.

Captain Marvel is well into production, but casting is still going on. According to The Hollywood Reporter, four-time Academy Award nominee Annette Bening is joining the Marvel movie. THR says that her character is a scientist, with Variety adding that she is “most likely” Carol Danver’s mother. This marks Bening’s first superhero movie, and her first blockbuster film in general.

Captain Marvel also stars Brie Larson, Ben Mendelsohn, Jude Law, Clark Gregg, Lee Pace, and Samuel L. Jackson. The film hits theaters on March 8th, 2019.

Simon Pegg is a frequent face in nerd-friendly movies, appearing in franchises like Star Trek and Mission: Impossible. However, he has yet to join a major superhero production. That being said, if he ever were to play a superhero, he already has his top pick.

Speaking with JoBlo, Pegg says that Captain Britain would be the hero he’d most want to play. “I mean, Captain Britain was this Marvel superhero that I loved growing up, ’cause he was the British member of that community. I even have a Captain Britain mask when I was a kid, but I fear I would probably be slightly too old now, but if they do have… If a Captain Britain movie comes about, they’re gonna need a British cast, so…” Currently, Marvel has no plans to bring Captain Britain to the big screen (that we know of). But if that ever changes, Pegg will be waiting.

When Patty Jenkins first signed on to direct the Wonder Woman sequel, it was reported that she would get a big increase in her paycheck. Sure enough, Variety confirms that she’s being paid a whopping $9 million. That’s more than triple her paycheck for the first Wonder Woman. After the first film’s huge success, this is very well-deserved. Wonder Woman 2 hits theaters on November 1st, 2019.

Variety’s article also sheds light on various celebrity salaries. According to the magazine, Robert Downey Jr. was paid $10 million for his glorified cameo in Spider-Man: Homecoming, while Tom Hardy is being paid $7 million for his starring role in Venom. For more salaries, click HERE.

And finally, a new comic book movie has entered development. According to The Hollywood Reporter, TriStar Pictures has picked up the film rights to Image’s new horror comic Infidel. The comic, which began in March, focuses on a Muslim-American woman and her multiracial neighbors, who find themselves living in a building with creatures who seem to feed on xenophobia.

TriStar senior vice president Nicole Brown says in a statement, “Audiences are responding to fresh, timely stories that, like Infidel, can resonate through the current state of our culture. Infidel has those provocative elements to create a touchstone thriller.” A director and writer have yet to be hired for the movie, but stay tuned for more news as we have it.