Paul Dano addresses his potential return as Edward Nashton/Riddler for The Batman 2. Matt Reeves' superhero crime thriller focused on the early exploits of the Dark Knight as he evolves to become an experienced vigilante, uncovering the corruption in Gotham City and learning more about his billionaire family's past. Twilight alum Robert Pattinson led the cast for The Batman as the titular superhero, Bruce Wayne, starring alongside an A-list ensemble. The Batman grossed $770 million worldwide, earning praise for its stellar performances, exhilarating action, and gritty cinematography. This success motivated WB to greenlight a sequel, which was announced in April 2022, with Pattinson and Reeves returning.
One reason why The Batman proved so successful was Dano's compelling portrayal as the villain, which reflected the movie's themes of class conflict. In his performance, Dano balanced the horrors of real life with The Batman's theatricality, transforming the Riddler into a Zodiac-esque serial killer who questioned Bruce Wayne's legacy and interrogated his heroism. The movie ended with Dano's Nashton getting apprehended and Bruce defeating his cult followers. But, in prison, the deranged villain befriends another inmate, which The Batman's deleted post-credits scene reveals as Gotham's biggest enemy, the Joker, played by Barry Keoghan.
IGN reports that during San Diego Comic-Con 2022 on Saturday, Dano opened up about the prospects of his return for The Batman 2 while promoting his tie-in prequel comic, Riddler: Year One. As the actor explains, if he is asked to return for the sequel, he would gladly take up the offer. Dano additionally mentions that he would love to work with Keoghan again after briefly sharing scenes with him in the first movie. Read what he says below.
I've been spending the past year writing this comic [Riddler: Year One] because I loved so much our film, Gotham, Batman, all of it - so you know, if they call me, I'll show up, yeah! It'd be pretty fun to get in there with another good actor like Barry.
As Dano's comments suggest, so far, there haven't been any concrete discussions about his return for The Batman 2, but the actor is definitely interested in reprising his role. News on the sequel has lately been scant, and The Batman 2 didn't have a presence at SDCC 2022 either. Pattinson has committed to starring in Bong Joon Ho's new movie Mickey7, so it might be some time before development on the sequel commences. Since Reeves has plans to develop a trilogy for his The Batman film franchise, some of the original stars signed on to star in future films back in 2019, although it's not clear if Dano was one of them. Still, if the filmmakers find a way to continue Riddler's story in the follow-up, they shouldn't have much trouble getting the actor on board.
While it's not clear how much progress the sequel has made, Reeves had earlier expressed his wishes for introducing characters like Calendar Man, Hush, and Mr. Freeze in The Batman 2. Although the original film had hinted at Joker's release from Arkham, it's not necessary that he would be the primary antagonist in the new movie; rather, the more likely scenario is that Reeves would have Bruce battle it out with some other adversaries from his rogues' gallery before he faces off against his archnemesis. If this is indeed the direction the filmmaker takes, then Dano would need to wait before his Riddler can wreak havoc in Gotham under Joker's anarchic direction. However, the villain can still collaborate with some other Batman enemies that Reeves has teased, particularly Mr. Freeze, since the two shared a working relationship in the comics as well. That said, it's unlikely that Riddler would be the threat-at-large in The Batman 2.
Source: IGN
