- Paul Dano wants to solve the riddle of his character in The Batman.
- Dano disclosed that he was ultimately persuaded to work on the comic after a conversation with Reeves.
- The series is scheduled to premiere in October.
Paul Dano is trying to figure out how the Riddler, who played his part in The Batman, came to be.
In a six-issue comic book series titled Riddler: Year One, the actor, who played Edward Nashton in Matt Reeves’ 2022 film, explores the history of the character.
The narrative, which was written by Dano with illustrations by Stevan Subic, goes back in time to show how an ordinary accountant transformed from a nobody to Batman’s archenemy.
When Dano visited EW’s Comic-Con video room on Friday, he remarked, “As an actor, one of the key ways that I approach my work is how do I get to page one of the script, meaning I do a lot of backstory work.”
“And the hope is that when you perform a scene, you somehow carry the character’s existence with you and have the character’s unconscious at work as well.
I took on the role of Edward Nashton, the Riddler, in this instance of The Batman; much of the backstory I concocted was in the language of comic books because I wanted to have that archetypal spirit at work advancing the movie.”
Dano disclosed that he was ultimately persuaded to work on the comic after a conversation with Reeves. “My backstory, I saw this image, this image, and this image,” I remarked to Matt Reeves, our director, one evening while we were on location.
He responded, “That should be a comic,” Dano remembered. “I was thinking in my head that it might be like that. The following day on set, Matt Reeves announced that “I spoke to DC; they want to talk to you.” I’m not sure whether I would have had the gumption to follow through with it.
I then said, “Great,” Sincerely, I think it’s pretty cool how it’s evolved into something completely different and taken on a life of its own.”
Dano was motivated to go even further into his trauma after entering Nashton’s “horrific” head. As a Batman comic, I wanted to deliver something to this medium that almost felt autobiographical for the character, he added.
“Can I use some of that energy since I’m so in tune with this character, I wondered. Can I bring something very sensitive and psychological? Although the plot has a plot-driven component and is initially about corruption, it is really an emotional horror story about trauma.”
The series, which is scheduled to premiere in October, is still in the scripting stages, according to Dano, who termed the experience of making the comic book “absolutely wonderful.”
I’m learning so much, and it makes me feel so energised, he added. “It’s incredible to write something and have a talented artist realise it. It’s actually pretty intense.
As a young comic book reader, it was my goal to continue developing the persona I had spent so much time developing in the world of Gotham.”
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