It looks as though The Batman takes real-life inspiration from the Zodiac Killer, with a far grittier Riddler than we’ve ever seen before. Director Matt Reeves goes as far as to say his superhero detective story is "almost a horror."
During an interview with Movie Maker, director Matt Reeves revealed the grizzly inspiration behind his version of The Riddler:
“The premise of the movie is that the Riddler is kind of molded in an almost Zodiac Killer sort of mode, and is killing very prominent figures in Gotham, and they are the pillars of society,” he said. “These are supposedly legitimate figures. It begins with the mayor, and then it escalates from there.”
Paul Dano stars as The Riddler – a serial killer and nemesis of Batman who weaves an intricate puzzle to solve. But it looks as though, as always, the great and good of Gotham City aren’t all they’re cracked up to be.
“In the wake of the murders, [The Riddler] 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,” he explained. “And so just like Woodward and Bernstein, you’ve got Gordon and Batman trying to follow the clues to try and make sense of this thing in a classic kind-of-detective story way.”
The Batman stars Robert Pattinson as a younger version of Bruce Wayne, and it looks as though the early days of his vigilante career will be focused on bringing Dano’s obsessive serial killer to justice. But don’t expect it to be easy. Although the recent trailer gives us a glimpse of a focussed and determined Batman, Reeves explains that the film occasionally has more in common with a horror movie, while still acting like a detective story at its heart.
“This idea of a place that is corrupt, and you try to swim against the tide in order to fight against it and make a difference, is quintessential Batman,” he said. “At the center of those noir stories is almost always the detective, right? And that’s why he is the world’s greatest detective. And so, this story is, in addition to being almost a horror movie, and a thriller, and an action movie, at its core, it’s also very much a detective story. It’s very narrative.”
All of that said, there will seemingly still be some pulling back from the true horror at its heart, given that The Batman has been confirmed as a PG-13 movie (as well as being the longest-ever Batman film).
Robert Pattinson stars as The Batman alongside Zoë Kravitz as Selina Kyle, Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth, Jeffrey Wright as James Gordon, Colin Farrell as Oswald Cobblepot, and Paul Dano as The Riddler.
The Batman is directed by Matt Reeves, based on a screenplay by Reeves, and Peter Craig. Walter Hamada is listed as executive producer alongside Simon Emanuel, Chantal Nong, and Michael E. Uslan. Matt Reeves, Dylan Clark, and Toby Hefferman are on board to produce.
Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.
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During an interview with Movie Maker, director Matt Reeves revealed the grizzly inspiration behind his version of The Riddler:
“The premise of the movie is that the Riddler is kind of molded in an almost Zodiac Killer sort of mode, and is killing very prominent figures in Gotham, and they are the pillars of society,” he said. “These are supposedly legitimate figures. It begins with the mayor, and then it escalates from there.”
Paul Dano stars as The Riddler – a serial killer and nemesis of Batman who weaves an intricate puzzle to solve. But it looks as though, as always, the great and good of Gotham City aren’t all they’re cracked up to be.
“In the wake of the murders, [The Riddler] 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,” he explained. “And so just like Woodward and Bernstein, you’ve got Gordon and Batman trying to follow the clues to try and make sense of this thing in a classic kind-of-detective story way.”
The Batman stars Robert Pattinson as a younger version of Bruce Wayne, and it looks as though the early days of his vigilante career will be focused on bringing Dano’s obsessive serial killer to justice. But don’t expect it to be easy. Although the recent trailer gives us a glimpse of a focussed and determined Batman, Reeves explains that the film occasionally has more in common with a horror movie, while still acting like a detective story at its heart.
“This idea of a place that is corrupt, and you try to swim against the tide in order to fight against it and make a difference, is quintessential Batman,” he said. “At the center of those noir stories is almost always the detective, right? And that’s why he is the world’s greatest detective. And so, this story is, in addition to being almost a horror movie, and a thriller, and an action movie, at its core, it’s also very much a detective story. It’s very narrative.”
All of that said, there will seemingly still be some pulling back from the true horror at its heart, given that The Batman has been confirmed as a PG-13 movie (as well as being the longest-ever Batman film).
Robert Pattinson stars as The Batman alongside Zoë Kravitz as Selina Kyle, Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth, Jeffrey Wright as James Gordon, Colin Farrell as Oswald Cobblepot, and Paul Dano as The Riddler.
The Batman is directed by Matt Reeves, based on a screenplay by Reeves, and Peter Craig. Walter Hamada is listed as executive producer alongside Simon Emanuel, Chantal Nong, and Michael E. Uslan. Matt Reeves, Dylan Clark, and Toby Hefferman are on board to produce.
Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.
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