The Batman Movie Casts Paul Dano As Iconic Villain

The news surrounding the upcoming movie The Batman just keeps getting more exciting. On the heels of announcing that Zoe Kravitz will play Catwoman in the film from director Matt Reeves, the actor who will portray Riddler has now been revealed.

Escape at Dannemora star Paul Dano will play the role, according to The Hollywood Reporter. This bit of casting comes the day after reports circulated that Jonah Hill had dropped out of negotiations to play a character in the film. It was believed that Hill was up for the role of Riddler or Penguin.

Dano becomes just the fourth person to play a live-action Riddler. The character was portrayed by Frank Gorshin in the 1960s Batman TV series and its accompanying movie. Jim Carrey took on the role in 1995's Batman Forever, which saw him teaming with Two-Face (Tommy Lee Jones.) Most recently, Cory Michael Smith played Edward Nygma on the TV show Gotham, exploring the character's descent into madness and transformation into Riddler.

In addition to Dano and Kravitz, two other major names have already signed on for The Batman. Twilight alum Robert Pattinson will play the titular Caped Crusader, while Westworld star Jeffrey Wright is reported to have been selected to play Commissioner James Gordon.

The Batman is in theaters on June 25, 2021.