The Batman star explains where Jim Gordon was in The Penguin

Jeffrey Wright, who portrayed detective Jim Gordon in 2022’s The Batman, has revealed why the police commissioner was absent for the entirety of DC’s The Batman spin-off The Penguin.

In a recent interview with Inverse’s Hoai-Tran Bui, Wright explained why his character didn’t show up at any point in The Penguin’s first season… and, well, the answer is probably a little more disappointing than you might have hoped.

“There was no talk of my being in this first season,” Wright told Inverse.

However, when asked if there was a chance he might pop up in a second season of The Penguin, Wright had this to say.

“Who knows… We'll see what happens down the line, but I'm juggling enough balls as it is.”

That’s sort of putting it lightly, as Wright has certainly been busy. Since The Batman was released back in 2022, he’s appeared in four films.

Plus, he’s since filmed his roles in two upcoming TV shows - season 2 of HBO’s The Last of Us and a new spy-thriller titled The Agency.

Now, before you get too excited, Wright’s reference to The Penguin’s “first” season and his chances of appearing in its second isn’t confirmation of a new season. The next quote from Wright will probably explain why that’s the case.

“I'm excited about getting back there, but you probably know as much as I know… I haven't read anything. I haven't talked to Matt for a while. He's been off doing his thing, I've been off doing mine. But I look forward to getting back there.”

However, he did have a little to share regarding Jim Gordon’s potential promotion in the upcoming sequel The Batman Part II.

“There's a lot to explore... I think the vision that [Reeves] has of Gotham is a really wonderful one, really rich and kind of grimy in the best way.”

I’m just hoping the recently cancelled Arkham Asylum TV show might be reworked into something, following The Penguin’s success. Maybe Wright will be offered a chance to reprise his role in something like that instead…