'The Batman' Found Its Riddler In Paul Dano

Paul Dano will be going head-to-head with the Caped Crusader as one of his most famous arch enemies.

Warner Bros. announced Thursday the "There Will Be Blood" actor, 35, has signed on to play Riddler in the upcoming "The Batman" due out in 2021.

Dano will star alongside Robert Pattinson (Batman), Zoe Kravitz (Catwoman) and Jeffrey Wright (Commissioner Gordon) in the Matt Reeves-directed comic book adaptation.

Jim Carrey last played the villain on film in 1995's "Batman Forever", while Frank Gorshin and John Astin portrayed him in the 1960s television series.

Jonah Hill was reportedly in talks to play either Riddler or The Penguin, but the deal fell through. Even Josh Gad had the rumor mill spinning as he tweeted a snap of The Penguin back in January.

Reeves said there will be a "rogues gallery" during an interview with The Hollywood Reporter earlier this year, while spilling more details about the highly-anticipated superhero flick.

"It's very much a point-of-view-driven, noir Batman tale," Reeves said at the time. "It's told very squarely on his shoulders, and I hope it's going to be a story that will be thrilling but also emotional. It's more Batman in his detective mode than we've seen in the films."

The Riddler -- aka Edward Nygma or E. Nigma -- was created by Bill Finger and Dick Sprang for D.C. Comics in 1948. He is often portrayed as a prankster who taunts his nemesis Batman during a battle of wits.

Pre-production on "The Batman" is expected to start this summer.

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