Is The Crown Star Tobias Menzies Joining The Batman Part II as Amadeus Arkham?

Assuming The Batman Part II actually reaches theaters before we all age out, there is a new casting rumor worth paying attention to: The Crown alum Tobias Menzies is reportedly in the mix to play Amadeus Arkham. File this under 'intriguing if true.'

The rumor and the role

PopFilm claims Menzies is gearing up to play Amadeus Arkham in Matt Reeves' sequel. Not confirmed, but it does line up with the darker, institution-focused corner Reeves has been building.

If you need a refresher on Amadeus Arkham, he is not just a name on a creepy building. Batman Wiki sketches him out as the haunted founder of Arkham Asylum — a well-meaning psychiatrist who launched the hospital after his family was murdered, determined to treat Gotham's most broken minds. Then the tragic twist: he slowly loses his own grip on reality and ends up as a patient inside the very institution he built. By the time Bruce becomes Batman, Amadeus is long gone, but his legacy is baked into every shadowy corridor of Arkham.

• Who: Amadeus Arkham, founder of Arkham Asylum
• Why it matters: His story is the asylum's origin myth — idealism curdling into madness
• Status in Batman's era: Dead, but his presence lingers over the place and the people it houses

What Reeves is actually saying (and not saying)

As usual with this franchise, secrecy is the default setting. Matt Reeves has kept plot specifics locked down, but there have been a few carefully placed hints. Variety has framed the Part II villain as a fresh pick — or at least a fresh spin — and Reeves teased more in a red carpet chat with Josh Horowitz.

'The first is so focused on Batman... I never wanted to lose [Robert Pattinson] at the center of these stories... The main antagonist [in Part II] has never really been done in a movie before.'

He also made it clear that the way he wants to explore Bruce Wayne this time basically dictated which villain he chose. Translation: the bad guy is not random — the character is meant to pressure Bruce in a specific, probably uncomfortable way.

So, does Amadeus Arkham fit?

If Menzies is indeed playing Amadeus, that likely points to more Arkham world-building and a story that treats the asylum as a character, not just a backdrop. And while Amadeus himself would be appearing through history, records, or hallucinations (pick your poison), using him would be a smart way to deepen the mythology without repeating the usual rogue beats. Inside baseball: Amadeus is a deep-cut lore pivot rather than a caped-and-cackling headline villain, which tracks with Reeves' 'fresh' talk.

Do you buy Tobias Menzies as Amadeus Arkham, and who do you think Reeves is hinting at for that never-been-done-on-film antagonist slot? I have thoughts, but I want to hear yours first.