Paul Dano has addressed the idea of a possible Riddler prequel to Matt Reeves' The Batman. Dano portrayed the popular DC vilain in the most recent Batman adaptation, which was released in March 2022, along with Robert Pattinson as Batman himself and Zoë Kravitz as Catwoman. While the film included other villains, namely Colin Farrell's Penguin, Riddler was The Batman's primary antagonist.
The Riddler, known as Edgar Nygma before his evil transformation into the quizzical mastermind, has been portrayed by a string of actors over the years, including Jim Carrey's famously silly interpretation in Batman Forever. Prior to his own Riddler appearance in The Batman, Dano has received critical acclaim throughout his acting career with performances in Little Miss Sunshine, Prisoners, and There Will Be Blood. Inspired by his involvement in the development of his Riddler role for The Batman, Dano began writing a comic book about the character entitled Riddler: Year One set to be published in October 2022.
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Dano shared his thoughts on the subject of a Riddler prequel in a recent interview with Empire Magazine. When asked whether the actor expected his upcoming comic to be adapted for the screen, he responded with some hesitation. "I mean, I suppose so," he said. "I think it would also have to be different. You don't just want to straight-adapt a comic to film." Dano then reflected more positively on the prospect, adding that he did thoroughly enjoy his experience making The Batman, echoing his enthusiasm at San Diego Comic-Con in July when stating he would agree to appear in the potential The Batman 2 if asked.
Paul Dano Would Approach Adaptation of Riddler Comic with Care
Dano's grounded and scarier portrayal of Riddler in The Batman was highly praised, and with his recent involvement in the Riddler's comic book story, it's no surprise that he would approach a prequel with care. Dano's take on Riddler seems to be following a similar path previously taken by Heath Ledger and Joaquin Phoenix in their movie interpretations of the Joker. Both Ledger and Phoenix also received high praise as well as Academy Awards for their dark and nuanced revivals of the DC villains. Dano and Batman director Reeves have cited the Zodiac Killer as an inspiration for the latest Riddler role, and painting a more psychologically complex and ultimately more unsettling portrait of the character is proving to be effective when revisiting the world of DC villains.
With the advent of recent origin movies, including Joker and even Disney's Cruella, audiences seem to be responding positively to classic villains getting their time in the sun and a chance to tell their own stories. Meanwhile, another character from The Batman universe is getting his own spinoff/origin story, as Farrell's Oswald Cobblepot is set to star in an HBO Max show. While nothing is yet confirmed for Dano's Riddler, the character is bound to be in good hands if a prequel were ever to make it to the screen.