Jeffrey Wright Based The Batman's Lt. Gordon On A Very Famous Real-Life Cop
Batman is very much a superhero who needs a support staff, and one key member of that support staff has always been James Gordon. A committed Gotham City cop (and eventual police commissioner), Gordon is one of Batman's most trusted allies and has been played by a wide range of actors over the years, with an equally wide range of interpretations. From Neil Hamilton in the Adam West "Batman" TV show in the '60s to Gary Oldman in Christopher Nolan's "The Dark Knight" trilogy, Gordon has always been a key figure in Batman's universe.
Most recently, Jeffrey Wright ("Westworld") took on the role alongside Robert Pattinson's Bruce Wayne in 2022's "The Batman." Directed by Matt Reeves, it was a dark, gritty take on this corner of the DC Universe that felt relatively grounded in reality. So, it makes sense that Wright actually based his take on Gordon on a pretty famous real-life police officer: Eric Adams. Appearing on "Late Night with Seth Meyers" in 2022, Wright explained how he came to use Adams, the current Mayor of New York City, as inspiration for the character.
"I've known [Eric Adams] for a while. I first became aware of him in the '90s. I was in New York, and there were some pretty intense police brutality cases in the city at that time. Maybe the only powerful voice in blue who seemed to be speaking on behalf of citizens' concerns was Eric Adams. I was like, 'Wow, this guy, he's really compelling.' Then, as it turned out, I moved to Brooklyn about 20 years ago or so, and he was the captain of the police precinct in my neighborhood, so I made a point to go over and just check him out and introduced myself. It's always good to have a cop friend here and there. Batman knows that, you know? So we went over, and we've been friends since, and now he's the mayor of our great city."
When fiction meets reality
Eric Adams served in the New York City Police Department for more than 20 years and retired as Captain. During his time on the force, he made waves, co-founding the advocacy group 100 Blacks in Law Enforcement Who Care, in addition to escorting Mike Tyson when he was released from prison. Adams later served in the New York State Senate before becoming mayor in 2022. Much like Gordon in the DC Universe, Adams rose through the ranks to try and effect change.
For Wright, that was certainly part of why he used Adams as a touchstone for his performance. The other part of it had to do with trying to set himself apart from those who came before. It's a well-worn role and Wright felt that he needed to find a unique way to put his stamp on it. Speaking further to Meyers, Wright explained:
"I did use him as a reference for Gordon because I've never played Gordon before, and those who played before were not me. So I wanted to find justification for my playing this role. I largely focused on the comics, and kind of the evolution of Gordon from 1939, but Gotham – Gotham's out the window and there have been three black police commissioners of the NYPD, and currently we have a black woman, Commissioner Sewell. So there were touchstones for me in justifying my place in this role, and Eric was certainly one of those."
Wright will certainly have further opportunities to further explore his take on Jim Gordon. Aside from "The Batman: Part II," there is a TV show set in the world of the movies that will take place at Arkham Asylum, as well as "The Penguin" spin-off series. Reeves has a whole universe planned, and Gordon figures to be a big part of it.
"The Batman: Part II" is currently set to hit theaters on October 3, 2025.