Everyone Is Fascinated By Paul Dano’s Casting As The Riddler In ‘The Batman’

This week, the news cycle surrounding Matt Reeves and Robert Pattinson’s The Batman has seen the casting of Zoe Kravitz as Selina Kyle/Catwoman and the cessation of talks with Jonah Hill for one of several villainous roles. Even so, the latest from the two-time Planet of the Apes franchise director and The Lighthouse star is still chugging along. Hence Thursday’s revelation that Paul Dano of Escape at Dannemora and Okja fame would play a character named Edward Nashton — otherwise known as Edward Nygma, or the Riddler, in the comics.

That’s right, folks. The same guy who literally sailed the ocean on Daniel Radcliffe’s farting corpse in Swiss Army Man (and other cinematic gems) is going to play one of the big bads in Reeves’ upcoming Batman reinvention for Warner Bros. And, to be honest, it’s fantastic casting. The majority of Twitter’s industry experts, critics, and trolls seem to agree. Though this is social media, of course, so with all the praise and positive speculation came plenty of snark and jokes.

But first, the good stuff! Dano has built up an impressive body of acting work in the last decade and folks have noticed.

— Jarett Wieselman (@JarettSays) October 17, 2019

Paul Dano is one of the best and most underrated actors working today and is perfectly suited for The Riddler. I can’t wait to see what he brings to the role, which is sure to be something special. #TheRiddler

— Paul Shirey (@arcticninjapaul) October 17, 2019

paul dano getting cast as the riddler has me thinking about his perfect performance in prisoners pic.twitter.com/gPkSJUGhVr