While we wait for news from The Batman 2Paul Dano confided in his role as the Riddler in the first opus, released in 2022.
The Batman : a sacrifice was made for the Riddler
In the doldrums from which Warner Bros and DC Comics must emerge, then in the midst of a takeover/merger by the Discovery company, there are a few films that stand out: Joker and The Batman. Two films having in common to break completely from the current DC canon, to offer original visions, revisited cult characters, and to have both been impressive commercial and critical successes. Warner has already greenlighted a sequel to Joker, taking an interest in Harley Quinn, named Joker: Madness for two whose first creepy image has just been unveiled. For The Batmanit’s downright a whole license that Matt Reeves will be able to launch, with a sequel “in less than 5 years”, but also a spin-off series on the Penguin with the film’s actor Colin Farrell directing. Another series will be planned, on the Gotham City Police Department and will focus on Lieutenant Jim Gordon. Finally, a series will be based on Arkham Asylum is also in the cards of Matt Reeves, and rumors swirl about a probable series Catwoman.
All of this is above all thanks to the talent of the technical team, the production and the actors. Robert Pattinson has finally managed to break away from that old shiny vampire image that has stuck with him for Twillight, giving us a very dark and lonely Batman from his early years. On the other side, Paul Dano, interpreter of the Riddler (the Mystery Man) also suffered a lot for his role. The character is terribly lonely but functions as a mirror to Bruce, having never known wealth. While not particularly cruel, it required special conditioning for the actor. Especially for a scene, as Paul Dano explains during an exchange with the media variety :
My character was like two sides of a trauma. This topic is really the first conversation I had with Matt Reeves. Bruce Wayne is rich, but this kid, Edward Nashton, had nothing. I’ve always thought that the only positive feedback, the only satisfaction he’s ever received in his life, is when a puzzle or riddle tells him “you’ve won.” It happened to me with the Riddler, but also on the movie Prisoners, where I realized that I had to create spaces, separate blocks with barriers in my life. For the big scene, towards the end of The BatmanI remember thinking, “OK, this is going to be intense. Let me take a hotel room and get away from my family. ‘Cause none of this needs mixing“There was so much energy on the set that day. You accumulate a lot of emotions, no matter how long you prepare. And by conditioning yourself well, you manage to get it all out on stage, in front of the cameras.
The Batman : already a cult version of the Riddler?
Paul Dano’s rendition of The Riddler has received worldwide acclaim. If some only have the name of Heath Ledger in mind when we talk about traumas of actors, the choice of Paul Dano was also terrible to make, especially when you are someone sentimental, with children. And yet, we already had another example of an actor having to play someone very lonely in the person ofEvan Peters, the interpreter of the Monster of Milwaukee, Jeffrey Damher for the eponymous series. He also followed intense training to interpret his character to perfection. Anyway, we salute the acting performance of these, and we can’t wait to find him in the next film. The Batman. In the meantime, you can continue to follow the adventures of the actor’s Riddler in the pages of recent comics Riddler: Year Onewritten by Paul Dano himself!
The Batman: Paul Dano made this very difficult choice to enter the role of the Riddler