Paul Dano is the one actually proving to be quite a Swiss Army Man. The multidimensional Dano, who wrote, produced, and directed his own film Wildlife in 2018, is set to write the origin story of his The Batman character in an upcoming comic book dubbed Riddler: Year One, which will hit shelves this October.
The 41-year-old has shown off more than his acting chops throughout his career, with a wide range of skills, including using his singing voice to illuminate the younger version of Brian Wilson in the Beach Boys frontman biopic Love & Mercy.
DC’s announcement of Riddler: Year One came via DC Comics and The Batman’s Twitter accounts, which teased the release with an image showing his iconic glasses sitting upside down amidst a stack of papers with numbers and a “Question Everything” scribble, with Riddler Year One in clear focus through one of the lenses.
In their online release, DC Comics says that Dano, who “was arguably one of the most chilling and terrifying incarnations ever seen”, will “write Edward Nashton’s path to becoming The Riddler in an new DC Black Label Limited Series!”
The comic book will be a six-issue bimonthly series launching in October, and will be created by Dano and Stevan Subic. According to the release:
This series explores the background of how accountant Edward Nashton went from a simple Gotham City nobody to becoming Batman’s nemesis, setting them on a collision course in the blockbuster feature film
There’s no doubting Dano’s commitment to research and his roles, including his deep dive into understanding serial killers for his Riddler role. Dano’s chilling, eerie, and maniacal yet subdued take on The Riddler in Matt Reeves’ The Batman has drawn rave reviews, especially from fans who are willing to see the actor do just about anything.
No doubt, fans are ready for more. The Batman is creating its own mini-universe in short time, with the Colin Farrell vehicle The Penguin series hitting HBO Max as well as a Gotham PD/Arkham Asylum series that seems to be evolving in scope and storyline by the week.
You can watch The Batman in cinemas now.