'The Batman' director reveals Paul Dano's Riddler inspired by real-life Zodiac killer

Matt Reeves' upcoming movie The Batman is one of the most anticipated films in 2022 and will be introducing Robert Pattinson as the Caped Crusader. While fans are excited to see Pattinson taking the role of the iconic superhero, several fans are also quite hyped to see Paul Dano as the psychopath serial killer Riddler. Reeves recently revealed that Riddler's character was inspired by the real-life murderer Zodiac Killer who has been linked to 37 murder cases. 

Riddler's character inspired by Zodiac Killer

In the upcoming, Robert Pattinson's Batman will be seen in a pursuit to nab serial killer Riddler played by Paul Dano, who has been killing the elites in Gotham. Director Matt Reeves, in a conversation with MovieMaker, revealed that real-life murdered Zodiac Killer was used as the base to create Riddler's character. He said, "The premise of the movie is that the Riddler is kind of mould in an almost Zodiac Killer sort of mode and is killing very prominent figures in Gotham, and they are the pillars of society. These are supposedly legitimate figures. It begins with the mayor, and then it escalates from there."

He added, "And in the wake of the murders, he reveals the ways in which these people were not everything they said they were, and you start to realize there’s some kind of association." In the past, Riddler has been played by Frank Gorshin and John Astin in the 1960s Batman television series, Jim Carrey in the 1995 film Batman Forever and Cory Michael Smith in the television series Gotham. Dano's Riddler will be comparatively darker than the previous portrayals.

More about 'The Batman'

The cast of The Batman also includes Zoe Kravitz as Catwoman, Jeffrey Wright as the GCPD’s James Gordon, John Turturro as Carmine Falcone, Peter Sarsgaard as Gotham D.A. Gil Colson, Jayme Lawson as mayoral candidate Bella Reál, Andy Serkis as Alfred and Colin Farrell as Oswald Cobblepot. The movie is all set to release in India on March 4, 2022. The film is intended to launch a Batman shared universe, with two sequels planned and two spin-off television series in development for HBO Max.

(Image: Instagram/@thebatman)