From the moment Paul Dano was confirmed as the Riddler for next year’s superhero blockbuster The Batman, fans have been speculating about how he might look in the role. After all, director Matt Reeves is expected to deliver a gritty and grounded take on Gotham City, which doesn’t leave much scope for goofy bowler hats and garish green outfits covered with question marks.
With these points seemingly in mind, digital artist William Gray has knocked up a concept design imagining how Dano might appear opposite Robert Pattinson as a dark and realistic version of Edward Nygma. The result, which Gray showcased on his Instagram account, is a far cry from the Jim Carrey incarnation in Batman Forever or Cory Michael Smith’s take in Gotham. Sporting tinted shades and a dark green combat jacket, this Riddler looks almost militaristic.
Whether Reeves has something along these lines in mind for the villain remains to be seen, but Gray’s design wouldn’t look out of place in a grounded version of Gotham. In any case, it’ll be interesting to see what kind of villain The Batman‘s Riddler ends up being. One possibility that springs to mind is a Saw-style bad guy who snares the Caped Crusader in a series of puzzle-based traps, not dissimilar to the way he was portrayed in Telltale’s Batman video games.
Little is known about The Batman‘s storyline and how Riddler will fit into it, though from the sound of things, it will be a villain-packed detective story with noir elements and explore the Dark Knight’s early years as Gotham’s watchful guardian. In addition to Pattinson and Dano, the movie will star Zoe Kravitz as Catwoman, Jeffrey Wright as Commissioner Gordon, John Turturro as Carmine Falcone, Peter Sarsgaard as Gil Colson, Jayme Lawson as Bella Real, Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth and Colin Farrell as the Penguin.
With any luck, we’ll get to see just how closely Gray’s Riddler design resembles the real deal on August 22nd at DC FanDome, where the first trailer for The Batman is expected to debut.