It was reported earlier this week that Jonah Hill, after months of near-confirmation, had exited talks with Warner Bros. and would no longer play The Riddler – or any other villain – in Matt Reeves‘ The Batman. The studio didn’t leave much time for fans to dwell on that disappointment though. Instead, they’ve forged ahead quickly and cast Paul Dano in the role instead.
Dano was reportedly always high on Reeves’ list if the talks with Hill fell through. To have such a good actor waiting in the wings as your plan B is a huge coup. Although Dano may not be as big of a name as Hill, he’s one of our great contemporary actors, capable of playing it mysterious (Prisoners), angsty (Little Miss Sunshine) or going toe-to-toe with a great like Daniel Day-Lewis in There Will Be Blood.
There was dispute as to whether Hill was actually in talks to play The Riddler or another role. His negotiations breaking down and Dano being cast just days later seems to indicate that he was indeed in talks to play the character known as Edward Nygma.
The character first appeared in Detective Comics #140 in October 1948. He’s usually depicted as a criminal mastermind in Gotham City who takes delight in incorporating riddles and puzzles into his schemes. He was played by both Frank Gorshin and John Astin in the Batman TV series back in the 1960s, and perhaps most famously by Jim Carrey in 1995’s Batman Forever.
For those that recall all the talk post-The Dark Knight, everyone and their grandmother expected Christopher Nolan‘s follow-up to focus on The Riddler. Names like Robin Williams and Johnny Depp were thrown around as potential actors for the part, only for Nolan to announce that Bane would be the primary villain instead.
Still, the amount of words written about who would play The Riddler speaks to how endearing the character is in Batman’s rogues gallery. Fans now finally have a tangible Riddler to latch onto. Expect Dano, who has rarely ever disappointed – even his directorial debut, Wildlife, is wonderful – to have a fascinating take on the character.
Dano joins Robert Pattinson and Zoe Kravitz in the film. The Batman hits cinemas June 25, 2021.
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