The Batman Director Releases New Riddler-Inspired Motion Poster

The Batman director Matt Reeves has released a new motion poster which creates a haunting teaser image of Robert Pattinson's Batman going to war with wits (and lots of blood) against Paul Dano's Riddler. A lot The Batman's early appeal with fans has been Reeves' aesthetic and presentation of what a lot of fans are now referring to as "Batman Se7en" – i.e., a dark noir serial killer vs. detective story – in this case with a super hero twist. Well, that's exactly the kind of genre tone this new motion poster for The Batman conveys – as you can see for yourself, below! 

In addition to this new motion poster, fans of The Batman can also match wits with Riddler in a new interactive viral marketing game. Head over to Rataalada.com and you will be greeted by an old-school DOS computer menu, inviting you to answer some questions ("I've got some questions. You've been looking for answers? Proceed? [Y/N]"). You'll be invited to answer a series of classic-style riddles, such as "I can be easy or a dead end. Careful when you cross me." (Answer? The street...). At the time of writing this we're just digging into the game – we'll update you with what we find. 

UPDATE: Here's the new (strange) artwork you get from solving Riddler's riddles: 

The latest trailer for The Batman has further pushed the idea that there is some kind of deeper connection between Pattinson's Batman and Dano's Riddler in Reeves' story. It seems as though Riddler will have deduced Gotham City's biggest secret: Bruce Wayne is Batman. Instead of doing a classic comic book villain move of trying to expose the hero's identity publicly (see: Spider-Man: No Way Home), Dano's Riddler will instead use the knowledge and Bruce Wayne's identity to crumble Gotham's entire socio-political structure. 

In that sense, Reeves' story in The Batman seems like it could take the symbolism of Bruce Wayne, Batman, and even Riddler and turn them into a larger rumination on the franchise, its central character, and its legacy in the modern world. It's much the same kind of story that Se7en told, which we are not at all mad about seeing repeated here. 

The new synopsis for The Batman reads:

"From Warner Bros. Pictures comes Matt Reeves' The Batman, starring Robert Pattinson in the dual role of Gotham City's vigilante detective and his alter ego, reclusive billionaire Bruce Wayne. Two years of stalking the streets as the Batman (Robert Pattinson), striking fear into the hearts of criminals, has led Bruce Wayne deep into the shadows of Gotham City. With only a few trusted allies -- Alfred Pennyworth (Andy Serkis), Lt. James Gordon (Jeffrey Wright) -- amongst the city's corrupt network of officials and high-profile figures, the lone vigilante has established himself as the sole embodiment of vengeance amongst his fellow citizens.

"When a killer targets Gotham's elite with a series of sadistic machinations, a trail of cryptic clues sends the World's Greatest Detective on an investigation into the underworld, where he encounters such characters as Selina Kyle/aka Catwoman (Zoë Kravitz), Oswald Cobblepot/aka the Penguin (Colin Farrell), Carmine Falcone (John Turturro), and Edward Nashton/aka the Riddler (Paul Dano). As the evidence begins to lead closer to home and the scale of the perpetrator's plans becomes clear, Batman must forge new relationships, unmask the culprit, and bring justice to the abuse of power and corruption that has long plagued Gotham City.

"Starring alongside Pattinson (Tenet, The Lighthouse) as Gotham's famous and infamous cast of characters are Zoë Kravitz (Big Little Lies, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald) as Selina Kyle; Paul Dano (Love & Mercy, 12 Years a Slave) as Edward Nashton; Jeffrey Wright (No Time to Die, Westworld) as the GCPD's James Gordon; John Turturro (the Transformers films, The Plot Against America) as Carmine Falcone; Peter Sarsgaard (The Magnificent Seven, Interrogation) as Gotham D.A. Gil Colson; Jayme Lawson (Farewell Amor) as mayoral candidate Bella Reál; with Andy Serkis (the Planet of the Apes films, Black Panther) as Alfred; and Colin Farrell (The Gentlemen, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them) as Oswald Cobblepot."

The Batman will be in theaters on March 4, 2022.