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.
