Warner Bros. pushed for DiCaprio as Riddler

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Spurred on as I was by fan-made posters depicting beguiling actors such as David Tennant, Jude Law, or Johnny Depp in the role, I became quite enamored with the idea of The Dark Knight Rises offering a realistic take on the Riddler character, to the point that the final confirmation of Bane as the film’s villain yielded actual disappointment.

I wasn’t alone, as according to an interview with screenwriter David S. Goyer running in Empire this month, Warner Bros. was high on the choice for antagonist and even campaigned for Leonard DiCaprio to take on the role. While I don’t entertain any notion of knowing better than Goyer and Christopher Nolan, I do feel slightly vindicated by the WB executives’ encouragement. That said, I also feel bad about myself, because who actually wishes for a kinship with the meddlesome studio honchos who are really only out to determine which Batman villain will sell the most toys?

Now I also feel double-bad about myself for harboring that sort of feckless “screw the suits” attitude which helps and charms nobody anymore. This whole ordeal has been such a spiral of self-aggrandizement and subsequent shame that it’s likely to lead me to don a costume and taunt would-be keepers of the peace in thematically consistent and creatively flamboyant ways.

[Batman-News via Cinema Blend]