Hollywood veteran Jeffrey Wright has come out to address the surprising absence of Detective Jim Gordon in Lauren LeFranc’s The Penguin. The miniseries recently concluded its eight-episode run to glaring reviews from its viewers. The show centered around the rise of Colin Farrell’s Oswald Cobb to the position of Gotham City’s dominant mob boss while seamlessly integrating the world built by Matt Reeves in 2022’s The Batman into its setup.
While many characters from Reeves’ original film played significant roles in The Penguin, a major element missing from the proceedings was Jeffrey Wright’s Jim Gordon. In a recent discussion, the seasoned actor provided insight into why his crime-solving character couldn’t make an appearance in Cobb’s story.
Jeffrey Wright says ‘there was no talk’ of Jim Gordon to be in The Penguin
Jeffrey Wright stated that the creators of The Penguin never explored the angle of Jim Gordon playing a part in the series. However, he did express his interest in possibly returning to James Gunn’s revamped DCU for future projects.
The Westworld star explained the aforementioned concern in an interview with Inverse. While talking about why he missed out on the Farrell-led show, Wright said, “There was no talk of my being in this first season.”
Nevertheless, he did not rule out an appearance for Jim Gordon in a potential follow-up edition to The Penguin. “Who knows? We’ll see what happens down the line, but I’m juggling enough balls as it is,” the actor said of featuring in a yet-to-be-confirmed Season 2.
In the interview, Wright also provided a safe update on his much-awaited return as Jim Gordon in The Batman Part 2. “I’m excited about getting back there, but you probably know as much as I know. I haven’t read anything,” the Emmy winner commented.
As per the current schedule, The Batman Part 2 will hit the big screens on October 2, 2026.