Paul Dano joins as The Riddler and there will be blood

The Batman faces another new villain.

Just a few days ago, the news of Zoe Kravitz joining the cast as Catwoman was confirmed, and now another villain joins in the mix. It is learned that Paul Dano has been confirmed to play The Riddler in director Matt Reeves' upcoming The Batman Movie.

The Little Miss Sunshine and There Will Be Blood actor will be facing against Robert Pattinson playing Batman, in this very noirish take on the DC story. Dano was cast after Jonah Hill failed to agree on a deal with Warner Bros. Hill was in talks to be either playing The Penguin or The Riddler, and it was still in negotiations as to which role he was going to portray. There is still no clear reasons found behind Hill passing up the role, leading to the production house going on a different approach to replace him.

Dano's acting debut started from 2000 release The Newcomers. He has played significant roles in films such as There Will Be Blood, Looper and 12 Years a Slave. In The Batman, he will star as Edward Nashton/Nygma, aka The Riddler. This will be the very first major comic book role for Dano, who has typically worked with prestigious art-house material films. He is characteristically different from Jim Carrey, who played the role against Tommy Lee Jones's Batman in Joel Schumacher's 1995 adaptation Batman Forever. It will be fascinating to see him translating this role on the screen, which is purportedly going to be a serious and dark tale following from the Christopher Nolan glory days.

The Riddler made his debut in the Detective Comics #140 in October 1948 issue and has been a staple perpetrator in the Rogue Villains Gallery of Batman ever since. The film will depict the tale of Edward Nashton before he took on the villainous persona as the Riddler.

"What's exciting about Batman is how it relates to now and also how personal it can be," Reeves said this earlier this year. The character is envisioned to be a far cry from the bright green catsuit-wearing portrayal of Carrey. Anticipations are that Reeves will be taking a more grounded and factual approach with the character and the film, more so like Nolan's films that were opposed diametrically from the brightly-colored, splashy camp of Joel Schumacher's creation.

The cast also comprises of Jefferey Wright as Commissioner Gordon. Gary Oldman enacted the role in Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight Trilogy.

Warner Bros. has announced to release The Batman in theatres on June 25, 2021.