Now that James Gunn’s DCU is officially underway with the launch of Superman and projects related to Supergirl and Clayface are forthcoming, it’s no surprise that actors want to get in on the action. As is tradition, when a franchise experiences success, actors volunteer themselves for roles, hoping the powers that be will consider them should an opportunity arise. Today’s fantasy casting finds Riverdale and The Strangers star Madelaine Petsch offering her sex appeal and malice to play Pamela Isley, also known as Poison Ivy, in The Batman Part II, or another project related to the DCU, extended or otherwise.
In a recent interview, Petsch said, “We’re working on it,” she started. “I dressed up as Poison Ivy. Many Halloweens ago, just to get their attention. It’s like, ‘Hey, Matt Reeves, are we paying attention?’ They haven’t made the movie yet, so who knows?”
While Madeline Petsch is passionate about playing Poison Ivy, is she a good fit for the character? By that same token, is Poison Ivy an appropriate villain for Matt Reeves’s Elseworld Batman projects? Reeves’s Gotham City is quite grounded, which makes introducing a villainess who uses pheromones to control men and manipulate sentient plant life a stretch. Poison Ivy would be a great fit for James Gunn’s side of the DCU, perhaps as a standalone horror film, similar to the upcoming Clayface feature, starring Tom Rhys Harries as Matt Hagen, also known as Clayface. I’ve said it several times on this site, but a Poison Ivy film from Saltburn mastermind Emerald Fennell would be incredible. There could be something there.
Previously, Reeves spoke to MTV’s Josh Horowitz at the Emmy Awards about bringing a villain onto The Batman Part II that’s “never really been done in a movie before.”
“I knew with the way [The Batman] ended, it was leaving us on the precipice. Also, the way events happen in [The Penguin],” he added. “There is an exploration to be had, and one of the explorations for me was to do something that pushes even further into the character of Bruce Wayne.”
“The first story is so much about The Batman. I always wanted to be in the movies, and let’s say we get to make three—I have no idea—that I always wanted the movies to be focused on his character. A lot of the other films, which I love, once you get past the origin tale, then you start telling the rogues’ gallery story and that character’s arc.
I never wanted to lose Rob at the centre of these stories, so that is what we really set our aim on,” Reeves added, “Picking the right villain that digs into what that does and goes into his past and his life, that was what drove that discussion. We’re super excited about it, and I will say, it’s never really been done in a movie before.”
Who do you think the villain is in The Batman Part II? Hush? Andrea Beaumont, also known as the Phantasm? I know Mask of the Phantasm is technically a movie, but you see what I’m getting at here, right? What do you think about Madeline Petsch wanting to play Poison Ivy in a future DCU film? Let us know in the comments section below.