The Batman: Riddler Actor Paul Dano Is Hopeful Filming Resumes Soon

Matt Reeves’ The Batman is set to have a star-studded cast with Robert Pattinson taking on the titular role, Zoë Kravitz portraying Catwoman, Colin Farrell playing Penguin, and Jeffrey Wright tackling Jim Gordon. Another big name on the list is Paul Dano. The actor known for There Will Be Blood and Little Miss Sunshine will be stepping into the role of the Riddler, which was confirmed by Reeves last year. Unfortunately, the movie’s release has been pushed back to October of next year due to the current pandemic, and production remains on hiatus despite the UK lifting shooting restrictions. Recently, Dano spoke to The Playlist about his role in the movie and expressed hopefulness that production will resume soon.

“I was filming. I flew home to visit my baby and then didn’t get to fly back [to set, because of coronavirus], which is a really strange thing,” Dano explained. “But I feel really good about it. I think Matt Reeves is the real deal. I was really surprised by his script, which I think is, is potentially really powerful. Hopefully we’ll get to get back to it sometime soon? I’m not sure.”

In Reeves’ original post about Dano, he used for the name “Edward Nashton.” Riddler is most commonly referred to as Edward Nigma, often shortened to the not-so-subtle E. Nigma in order to hammer down the point that he is a fan of mysteries and riddles. But it wasn’t until the character appeared in the post-Crisis on Infinite Earths continuity that they re-wrote his origin to give him a more “realistic” name, choosing to call him Edward Nashton instead. It isn’t until later on when he becomes a villain and decides to adopt the pseudonym of Edward Nigma.

It sounds like Reeves is taking a slightly more grounded approach in his movie. “It’s very much a point of view-driven, noir Batman tale,” he previously told The Hollywood Reporter. “It’s told very squarely on his shoulders, and I hope it’s going to be a story that will be thrilling but also emotional. It’s more Batman in his detective mode than we’ve seen in the films. The comics have a history of that. He’s supposed to be the world’s greatest detective, and that’s not necessarily been a part of what the movies have been. I’d love this to be one where when we go on that journey of tracking down the criminals and trying to solve a crime, it’s going to allow his character to have an arc so that he can go through a transformation.”

The Batman is scheduled to be released on October 1, 2021.