Picture this: Batman, approaching his archenemy the Penguin, on the cusp of defeating him, only to have the stout, tuxedo-wearing villain cry out in bitter frustration, “You know, we’re living in a society!”
It could happen. With Jonah Hill now out of the running for a villain role in Matt Reeves’ The Batman, Seinfeld star Jason Alexander has a modest proposal: Why not let him step into the role of the Penguin? On Thursday, the erstwhile George Costanza tweeted, “Ok, Jonah Hill passed. Clearly the next move for Penguin has to be someone familiar with marine biology. Ahem.”
The tweet is a reference to the classic Seinfeld episode (is there any other kind of Seinfeld episode?) “The Marine Biologist,” in which George pretends to be, you guessed it, a marine biologist in order to woo a woman. Naturally, things quickly spiral out of control as George is called upon to save a beached whale. Allow the clip below to explain how that shakes out.
Earlier Thursday, Paul Dano was cast as the Riddler in The Batman, joining Zoë Kravitz’s Catwoman among the rogues who will match wits with Robert Pattinson’s Caped Crusader. Hill had reportedly been in talks for a villainous role before bowing out. It has not been confirmed that Hill was in contention to play the Penguin, but Deadline reported that casting for that role is still underway.
The Penguin, born Oswald Cobblepot, was memorably portrayed by Danny DeVito in Tim Burton‘s Batman Returns. The supervillain is known for his gentlemanly demeanor and signature top hat, tuxedo, and umbrella, and Alexander, if we may be so bold, would be a perfect fit for the part.
The Batman is scheduled to begin shooting in January and will swoop into theaters June 25, 2021.
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