It's racist and stupid: Jeffrey Wright on backlash against him playing Commissioner Gordon in 'The Batman'

Los Angeles, Sep 3 (PTI) Hollywood star Jeffrey Wright has slammed the push back over his casting as Commissioner Gordon in "The Batman", calling the criticism as "the dumbest thing".

Wright's name as Gordon had attracted backlash in certain segments on social media with critics saying a Black actor shouldn't play the character, who is the leader of Gotham's police force in the comics and movies. “I really find it fascinating the ways in which there’s such a conversation, and I think even more of a conversation now, about Black characters in these roles. It’s just so f****ing racist and stupid. It’s just so blind in a way that I find revealing to not recognize that the evolution of these films reflects the evolution of society, that somehow it’s defiling this franchise not to keep it grounded in the cultural reality of 1939 when the comic books were first published. It’s just the dumbest thing. It’s absent all logic," the actor told Collider in an interview.

According to Wright, the popularity of Batman has endured in popular culture because he was created to be “open-ended”.

“I feel that I own these stories as much as anyone. Perhaps now, because I’m a part of them, I have the most skin in the game," he said.

Wright is set to reprise Gordon's role in Matt Reeves’ highly anticipated sequel “The Batman: Part II.” The script was recently completed, and after several delays, the film will debut on Oct. 1, 2027. PTI BK BK BK