Although very little is still known about The Batman, early casting news is starting to get announced. The latest news is that Paul Dano will take on the role the villainous Edward Nashton, aka the Riddler.
Dano joins cast members Robert Pattinson (of Twilight fame, among other notable roles), Jeffrey Wright (Westworld, The Hunger Games series) as Commissioner Jim Gordon, and Zoë Kravitz (Fantastic Beasts series, Mad Max: Fury Road) as Selina Kyle, aka Catwoman. It is unknown if Catwoman will actually make an appearance in the film at this time.
Jonah Hill (21 Jump Street, This is the End) was in talks to star in The Batman as either Penguin or Riddler, but it has now been confirmed that he has passed on the role. Hill had previously provided the voice of Green Lantern in The Lego Movie and The Lego Batman Movie.
Dano has proved to be a highly versatile actor, first getting major attention as Dwayne in 2006’s Little Miss Sunshine. Since then, he has had major roles in There Will Be Blood, Looper, 12 Years a Slave, Swiss Army Man, BBC’s War & Peace TV miniseries, and many other films.
Details on the plot are still up in the air, however we do know that it is not an origin story (for which we are thankful). We are also unsure if the film is part of the DCEU or not. There are speculations on both sides, but at the time the details are hazy. The Batman is directed by Matt Reeves (War of the Planet of the Apes, Cloverfield), who is also writing the film alongside Mattson Tomlin.
The Batman is expected to release on June 25, 2021 but, as we recently saw with Wonder Woman 1984, there may be delays. DC Films pushed that film from November 2019 to December 2019 before announcing a June 2020 release date.
We should expect to see first looks and a trailer sometime in 2020, but so far it sounds like a DC film to look forward to.
Related Article: ‘The Batman’ Casts Zoe Kravitz as Catwoman
