Exclusive: Paul Dano and Jeffrey Wright on playing Riddler and Jim Gordon in The Batman
Coming out this week in theaters from Warner Bros. Pictures is director Matt Reeves’ The Batman. The cast is lead by Robert Pattinson as Gotham City’s vigilante detective, Batman, and billionaire Bruce Wayne.
Starring alongside Pattinson as Gotham’s famous and infamous cast of characters are Zoë Kravitz as Selina Kyle/Catwoman, Paul Dano as Riddler, Jeffrey Wright as GCPD’s James Gordon, John Turturro as Carmine Falcone, Peter Sarsgaard as Gotham D.A. Gil Colson, Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth, Colin Ferrell as Oswald Cobblepot/ Penguin and Jayme Lawson as mayoral candidate Bella Reál.
Two years of stalking the streets as the Batman (Robert Pattinson), striking fear into the hearts of criminals, has led Bruce Wayne deep into the shadows of Gotham City. With only a few trusted allies—Alfred Pennyworth (Andy Serkis), Lt. James Gordon (Jeffrey Wright)—amongst the city’s corrupt network of officials and high-profile figures, the lone vigilante has established himself as the sole embodiment of vengeance amongst his fellow citizens.
When a killer targets Gotham’s elite with a series of sadistic machinations, a trail of cryptic clues sends the World’s Greatest Detective on an investigation into the underworld, where he encounters such characters as Selina Kyle/aka Catwoman (Zoë Kravitz), Oswald Cobblepot/aka the Penguin (Colin Farrell), Carmine Falcone (John Turturro), and Edward Nashton/aka the Riddler (Paul Dano). As the evidence begins to lead closer to home and the scale of the perpetrator’s plans becomes clear, Batman must forge new relationships, unmask the culprit, and bring justice to the abuse of power and corruption that has long plagued Gotham City.
Wright is making history being the first black American to portray the iconic character of Jim Gordon. He was last seen reprising his role of CIA agent Felix Leiter in James Bond franchise, “No Time to Die” and also starred in an all-star ensemble cast in Wes Anderson’s “The French Dispatch.” Wright broke onto the big screen in 1996 with a harrowing performance in the feature “Basquiat,” portraying the gifted late painter Jean Michele Basquiat. Since then, he’s appeared in such productions as “Syriana,” “The Manchurian Candidate,” “The Hunger Games,” “Casino Royale,” and HBO’s “Boardwalk Empire.” He can currently be seen playing the critically acclaimed role of Bernard Lowe in HBO’s “Westworld,” f
Dano is best known for his work on the acclaimed feature films “There Will Be Blood”; “Love & Mercy,” which garnered him several awards nominations. His other film credits include “12 Years a Slave”; “Prisoners,” “Little Miss Sunshine,” “Ruby sparks,” “Being Flynn,” “Cowboys & Aliens,” “For Ellen,” “Meek’s Cutoff,” and “Knight and Day.”
Paul Dano and Jeffrey Wright spoke to Blackfilmandt.com’s Wilson Morales on playing Riddler and the First Black Jim Gordon respectively in The Batman