The DC Extended Universe is in full swing and looking to fully amp up now that Geoff Johns has been put in a major position of power at Warner Brothers. The standalone Batman film that Johns and Ben Affleck are working on is rumored to include a lot of Batman rogues, and in the realm of fan casting we all have our ideas about who would best play what villain.
Arrow star Stephen Amell has his own ideas about who he’d like to play on the big screen, opposite the Dark Knight. Amell recently discussed his desire to play a particular enigmatic villain while doing press for his role as Casey Jones in the new film Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows.
In an interview with CinemaPop, Amell dropped the idea (not for the first time) of playing classic Batman villain The Riddler, saying, “I always get this question. I think all the superheroes are taken now. I’ll play The Riddler, okay? It’s a villain, but I like The Riddler.”
A supervillain in love with puzzles and riddles, Edward Nygma a.k.a. The Riddler has been a staple in the Batman universe since his debut back in 1948 in the pages of Detective Comics #140. The one and only big screen version of the Riddler was, of course, portrayed by Jim Carrey in the 1995 film Batman Forever. However, as Amell noted back in 2014, The Riddler has yet to make an appearance in any of the 21st century live-action Batman films, such as Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy or this years Batman V Superman. Perhaps in Affleck’s solo Batman film there will be room for a new take on the Riddler - whether played by Amell, or by someone else.
These days the Riddler can be seen on Fox’s Gotham television series, enjoying the most extreme re-write to his origin to date. This time around Edward is a Gotham City Police forensic analyst, portrayed by Cory Michael Smith. The character is obsessed with puzzles and develops an alternate personality that eventually allows him to become a full-on criminal.
It remains to be seen whether Stephen Amell will get a crack at the first big screen Riddler in over twenty years. Do you think he would be a good fit? Sound off in the comments.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows is in theaters now. Arrow will return to the CW for a fifth season this Fall.
Source: CinemaPop (via ComicBook.com)
