Every few days there’s a new vague, unlikely casting rumor for the third Batman film, but this one has a bit more heft. FirstShowing.net reported that a source with access to a studio casting grid confirmed the long-brewing rumor that Joseph Gordon-Levitt is being considered to play the Riddler. Gordon-Levitt, who is appearing in Batman director Christopher Nolan’s Inception, is listed as an “interested” candidate for the film.
This news should be taken with the world’s largest grain of salt, but if you assume that the casting grid is legitimate, it confirms, at the very least, that the Riddler will likely be the third film’s main villain. Casting grids are used to keep track of and coordinate actors’ availabilities and schedules, and who has been offered each role. Having Gordon-Levitt on the grid doesn’t mean that he’s actually been cast yet, but having him up there means that it’s more than just internet speculation. It also gives us an idea of what Nolan is considering for the part, and for the film.
Personally, I think Gordon-Levitt is a very fine actor, who would be an interesting choice for the part. But Nolan will have a tough time making the Riddler a workable villain: he’s so fundamentally absurd from his premise to his question-marked suit that he’s basically been downgraded to comic relief in the comics. If anyone can come up with riddles that are actually difficult and engaging, it would be Nolan, but a lot of Riddler stories force writers to lower Batman’s intelligence by a good 50 IQ points so that he doesn’t immediately solve incredibly obvious riddles, or have him take such unlikely logical leaps that it dissolves suspension of disbelief. There are ways that the Riddler would work, but I’d like to see Nolan try his hand at some less well-known Batman foes.
Source: Firstshowing.net
