Paul Dano (There Will Be Blood, Love & Mercy) is gearing up for playing Edward Nashton/The Riddler in the upcoming Matt Reeves-directed film, The Batman. He had been in the midst of working on the film before the pandemic began, and went home for what he thought would be a quick break when he found out about the travel restrictions and Hollywood shutdowns.
In a recent interview with The Playlist, Dano explained:
“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. 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.”
When asked if he could say anything about the film or his character, he of course said:
“I can’t even legally can’t say anything about it.” Dano did tease that “There’s something fun there in my character and in all the characters. It’s the kind of movie that we’re just desperate to share on the big screen in a big way. So, I hope we all figure this [coronavirus situation] out and get excited to see a Batman movie. It will be worth it. It’s going to be really cool.”
Of course it’s all very hush hush, as you can imagine, but it sounds like the actor is really positive about the story and role. I am excited for the film, just based on the incredible cast that includes Robert Pattinson as the titular Bruce Wayne/Batman, Jeffrey Wright (Westworld) as Commissioner James Gordon, Zoë Kravitz (Big Little Lies) as Selina Kyle/Catwoman, Paul Dano (There Will Be Blood) as Edward Nashton/The Riddler, Andy Serkis (Black Panther) as Alfred Pennyworth, newcomer Jayme Lawson as Bella Reál, John Turturro (The Night Of) as Carmine Falcone, and Peter Sarsgaard (Green Lantern) as Gil Colson. Gil Perez-Abraham (Orange is the New Black), Charlie Carver (Teen Wolf), and Max Carver (Teen Wolf) have also been cast in undisclosed roles.
Reeves previously described the noir-style film as:
“It's very much a point of view-driven, noir Batman tale. 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.”
It’s been so exciting to hear this movie slowly come together. While it has faced some hold-ups, The Batman is set to hit theaters on June 25, 2021. Are you excited?
