'It would be an honour always!' Jake Gyllenhaal up for iconic superhero role

Jake Gyllenhaal has admitted it would be "an honour" to play Batman in a movie.

The 43-year-old actor was previously one of the stars in the frame to portray Bruce Wayne and his Caped Crusader alter-ego in Christopher Nolan's 'Dark Knight' trilogy, with the part eventually going to Christian Bale.

But with DC Studios bosses James Gunn and Peter Safran set to take their on-screen universe in a new direction with upcoming Batman reboot movie 'The Brave and the Bold', Gyllenhaal would like to be considered for the "classic" role.

When asked if he would still be interested in portraying Batman, he told Screen Rant: "Oh, man. That’s a classic. It’s an honour.

"Speaking of playing roles that other incredible actors have played in the past, to me actually roles that other incredible actors have played in the past, which, to me, actually, when I think about it, I’m going to play Iago in 'Othello' with Denzel Washington.

"I think about, like, the history of actors that have played that role throughout time, and I’m intimidated by that. So that’s the first level.

"That’s what I’m working on right now. But of course, it would be an honour always. Those types of things and those roles are classics."

In September, David S. Goyer - who co-wrote the 'Dark Knight' trilogy with Nolan - revealed he "advocated" for Gyllenhaal during discussions about who could portray Batman.

He said on the 'Happy Sad Confused' podcast: "We would chat about all sorts of things ... there were a number of people who had screen-tested, and I had advocated for Gyllenhaal.

"I mean, Gyllenhaal is amazing, Christian Bale is amazing, so who knows what."