Director Matt Reeves has said that the version of The Riddler that Paul Dano is playing in The Batman is one no one has ever seen before. Dano was cast in Reeves' movie late last year, with the director announcing that he'd be playing Edward Nashton, a version of the classic Batman villain, alongside Colin Farrell's Penguin and John Turturro's Carmine Falcone as the bad guys of the piece. Dano will be the latest on-screen version of the character, following up Jim Carrey's over-the-top performance in Batman Forever.

Dano, of course, is a far more serious and traditionally dramatic actor than Carrey was, and the expectation is that he will play a much darker and more intense version of The Riddler. The actor recently shared that Reeves' script for The Batman is powerful, adding that the movie is something the cast and crew are desperate to share with fans on the big screen. Despite only having shot just a quarter of the movie before the coronavirus shutdown, Reeves shared a trailer for The Batman today, showing that Dano's Riddler will be the main villain in the movie.

Related: The Batman Can Finally Deliver The Riddler Fans Have Always Wanted

Reeves shared the trailer at DC FanDome, where he was also praised Dano's performance. Calling him a "creative actor" and adding that the performance he's given in just the first 25% of shooting so far is going to "blow people's minds." Reeves also said that the version of the character that he's playing is one that no one has ever seen before.

Paul Dano in There Will Be Blood alongside Robert Pattinson in The Batman

It's no surprise that Dano has gotten so such praise from Reeves. The actor has produced a series of convincing and intense performances in a number of movies throughout his career. From Paul Thomas Anderson's There Will Be Blood to the mentally challenged Jay in Denis Villeneuve's Prisoners, and even in Ben Stiller's true-life drama Escape at Dannemora, Dano is always a commanding presence on screen.

So it's exciting to hear Reeves gush about him, especially in light of the teaser trailer that was shown at the event, which makes it clear that Dano's Riddler will be a major part of the story. The few glimpses we get of his character in the footage, rolling out duct tape to place over the face of a murder victim, show him in uncharacteristically dark and dingy clothes, wearing glasses.

Based on his look alone, this will be a very different version of The Riddler. His voice, too, sounds muffled, reminiscent of Tom Hardy's Bane in The Dark Knight Rises. Just those that little glimpse, and the eerie sound of his vocal performance, make it seem like Dano is going to make for a villain worthy of The Batman. Now, hopefully the production can resume so that the movie arrives on time, and audiences are able to dig deeper into this version of the villain.

Next: The Batman Theory: The Riddler Kills [SPOILER], Making Way For Two-Face

Source: DC FanDome

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